Differences
by lilacbird
Summary: Most children are innocently oblivious to gender and what it means to be male and female. Most grow out of it. Luke didn't. So what is he going to do when feisty farmer girl Akari starts to fall for him? Tree of Tranquility, LukexAkari
1. Character Overview

**As those who have been reading 'Differences' from when it was first created will know, I began this story when the game had not only not yet been released in the US, but when the English names of the characters had not yet been announced. Therefore, I began the story using the Japanese names of the characters. As you probably know, the game has recently been released in the US, along with the English names of the characters; but I thought if I suddenly switched to using the English names now, when previously I had used the Japanese ones, things would get confusing for those who have been reading from the start.**

**So, I have decided to make this handy glossary of the Japanese-to-English names of the main characters, that you can refer to if by chance you ever get confused names-wise!**

**--**

Akari: Player character (female)

Takeru: Player character (male)

Kotomi: Candace

Roomi: Luna

Selaf: Shelly

Won: Jin

Anise: Anissa

Dai: Dale

Tao: Toby

Leena: Renee

Juli: Julius

Kathy: Cathy

Ose: Owen

Pat: Phoebe

Gil: Gill

--

**That should suffice your needs quite thoroughly! I have only included the names that changed from Japanese to English, meaning I left out Luke and Calvin. I also only included the names of the characters that appear in 'Differences', which is why, for example, 'Sheila: Selena' is not included in the list.**

**Well, now that **_**that's **_**over: Happy Reading!**


	2. Oblivious

Luke didn't really get what all the fuss was about between males and females

**This is a fic for the upcoming Tree of Tranquillity. Akari is the name of the main farmer girl, from what I gather. **

**--**

Luke didn't really get what all the fuss was about between males and females. He sometimes had a little trouble differentiating the two. It wasn't that he was stupid; it was just that his view on gender was different to that of other peoples. Sure, girls wore skirts, men had deeper voices- he learned all that stuff about 'puberty' and 'adolescence' when he was still in school- but apart from those few minor anatomical features, were men and women really all that different? Luke didn't think so. He wasn't one to think as people as male and female, he just saw them as _people._

It was probably because he had been raised by only his father the majority of his childhood. Other children saw their fathers out grafting hard, while the house-proud mothers stayed at home and worked non-stop there, and this was what gave them their view on the roles of men and women. Men had to be bold and strong. Women also had to be strong, but also caring and compassionate. Luke, on the other hand, did not have this experience. After his mother's passing, his father still worked at carpentry, but also cooked, cleaned, and brought Luke up- traditional 'woman's' work. Luke knew both men and women were capable of the same things, and that made them the same enough to him.

You'd think his lack of awareness of gender would cause problems for him, but surprisingly it didn't. Living in such a sheltered little village, everyone had their little oddities, and, just as Mai's was her terrible culinary skills and Tao's his laziness, that just happened to be Luke's. He'd never had a girlfriend before, in fact, he'd never had romantic interest in _anyone _before, and so his glitch had never really come to light. Not even as a child, when it was the most obvious.

He hadn't understood the other boys' apparent disgust for the girls, or what the 'cooties' they all seemed to be infected with actually _was._ He was baffled as to why girls wore skirts when boys didn't. One girl had gotten angry and slapped him when he looked up her skirt. He wondered why she wore it, if not for that reason. His friends had teased him when, after he neglected going to get his hair cut for a while, his azure blue hair had grown to his shoulders. When he asked why they were so bothered by it, they had replied it was because only girls had long hair. When he'd replied with a blunt 'So?' he'd been considered a little weird for a while. But soon everyone forgot about it, and life carried on as normal.

After all, most children are innocently oblivious to sexes at that age. Luke just never outgrew that trait. He didn't arrange people according to their genders- they were either his friends, or they weren't, and that was good enough for him.

So when he happened to befriend the young farmer Akari, he never once saw her as a girl.

He saw her as a cheerful, generous person. Someone who always goes out of her way to help people- though she often just ended up making the situation worse. A strong person despite her small physique, determined and good-hearted. A friend.

But not a woman.

Perhaps if he had, he'd have noticed the decidedly different way Akari behaved around him compared to the way she acted around the other villagers. Perhaps he would have noticed the way her face lit up when she saw him, or the way she always managed to end up at the carpenter's through amazing coincidence, or the way she would laugh at _all_ of his jokes- even the ones he knew were terrible, or the way her cheeks would flush pink whenever he hugged her- which was often.

But as he hadn't, he didn't.

But that doesn't mean none of the other villagers had.

--

"Um, hello?"

Luke set down his hatchet and wiped his brow, looking up towards the door. In truth, he was thankful for the intrusion- he had been working three hours straight, and the carpenter's workshop wasn't the coolest of places in the early summer.

"What? Oh hey, Roomi!" He flashed her a huge grin that would've made anyone else's jaws ache had they smiled that way.

"Um…" Roomi shifted her feet gingerly around the sawdust, waving a delicate hand in front of her face, trying to clear the air. The young seamstress, being as fragile and elaborate as a porcelain doll, she looked very out of place in the workshop, and obviously felt very uncomfortable.

"You need something?" Luke questioned.

"Well, not exactly…" Said Roomi, giggling nervously "The thing is, I know it's none of my business, but I was just wondering about you and… Akari."

"Eh? Why'd you want to know about that?" Luke frowned, not understanding her question in the slightest.

"Well, Akari and I were talking the other day, and I said that you two were spending a lot of time together lately, and she started blushing, so I thought…" Roomi looked at Luke, half expecting him to finish for her.

"Yeah?" He asked, oblivious as ever.

"I wanted to know if you were going out!" Roomi finally snapped.

"Going out? What do you mean?" Luke said.

"I mean, like, _dating._" Said Roomi exasperatedly.

This idea seemed so utterly ridiculous to Luke that he laughed out loud. _Date _Akari? That was just silly. She was his _friend!_

Roomi was not too pleased with this reaction, to say the least. Puffing out her cheeks childishly and putting her hands on her frilled hips, she scowled at him.

"Well, you're _obviously _into each other!" She insisted, her cheeks turning pink, indignant.

She pouted and stamped her foot, which only made Luke laugh more.

"I-I'm s-s-sorry!" He stuttered through his laughter, tears of amusement springing to his catlike yellow eyes.

"Oh, grow up Luke!" Roomi shouted, throwing her arms down at her sides, fists clenched. Sighing extravagantly, she turned smartly on her heel and stormed out of the shop, leaving Luke in fits of teary-eyed laughter.

--

"Akari!" Luke bounded up to his friend like and eager puppy that had just seen his master. Scooping her up in a bone-crunching hug, he spun her around before setting her dizzily down on her feet. Everyday he greeted her in this fashion. Akari was light and small for her age, while Luke was tall for his, and something about her just made him want to pick her up and swing her round. It was almost as if she was made for it.

"H-Hi, Luke!" Said Akari, her head still spinning as she teetered alarmingly on her heels.

"It's the Fireworks Festival tonight! Woohoo!" Luke pumped his fist in the air "You want to come with me?"

"Yes! I-I mean, if I'm not too busy… You know, with the farm and all…" Akari smiled.

Luke was so worked up that he failed to notice the pink hue on Akari's face, and completely forgot that it was supposed to be a festival for couples.

From the doorway of the carpenter's shop, Luke's father Dai stood watching his young son and his friend chatting, thinking.

--

"Hi, Anise," Akari greeted cheerfully as she entered the farm shop.

"Oh, hello Akari." Said Anise quietly. It wasn't that she was whispering, it was just the kind and gentle Anise had a naturally soft voice, like velvet. "What can I do for you today?"

"Oh, no reason, just came to chat…" Akari giggled innocently, twirling around the room like a ballet dancer.

"Careful!" Exclaimed Anise, rushing around, trying to steady the dizzying Akari "Your head is full of stars! What's happened?"

Akari slumped in a heap, giggling uncontrollably. Anise only just managed to catch the smaller girl before she fell face-first onto the floor. Anise frowned.

"Akari… have you been drinking?" She asked worriedly. Her friend had never behaved so bizarrely before. What on Earth could be wrong with her?

"No, of course not!" Said Akari indignantly, picking herself up and brushing herself down. "I was just thinking what a beautiful day it is today. It makes me happy."

"But… It's cloudy today." Said Anise confusedly.

"Well, clouds mean rain, and rain brings life to crops and plants." Akari shrugged.

"Are you _sure _you're all right? I've got some medicine if you're feeling-"

"I'm _fine_, Anise!" Insisted Akari "I haven't even _been _to the inn today! I've been on my farm all day, mostly. I came straight here after the carpenter's shop, so-"

"Wait, what did you say?" Anise interrupted.

"What? That after going to Bagel Carpentry, I came straight here?" Said Akari.

"Ah, I see now." Anise sighed, amazed that she didn't see it before.

"What is it?"

"Oh, nothing, Akari."

_Just first love._

--

As you can see, it was no secret that Akari was madly in love with the young carpenter. Everyone knew about it.

Everyone that is, but our dear Luke himself.

--

**Thanks for reading to the end! A review would be nice, hint hint! I'll update whenever I get the chance.**


	3. First Impressions

The next chapter will be centred on Akari

**The next chapter will be centred on Akari!**

**--**

"Grah! Stupid Luke!" Akari fumed, throwing herself down angrily on her bed "Men. Ugh!"

You couldn't blame her for being upset, really. After all, she'd lived on the island for just over a year now. And she'd been in love with Luke for just over a year now. And he _still _hadn't realised it? If anyone failed to see how much she loved him, Akari would have to declare them legally blind. Luke wasn't blind. He was just Luke.

Akari was furious with herself. Of all the men, why did she have to fall for the one who was completely oblivious to her? Even if she stood in the middle of the town square and screamed out her love confession over a loudspeaker, she doubted he would notice. He was so unbelievable like that.

She knew he didn't see her as the girl she was. The way smiled at her, the way he talked to her, it was like how children spoke to each other- completely unaware of the other's gender. To all the villagers, Akari was Luke's almost-sweetheart. To Luke, she was his friend. Nothing more.

This was so immensely annoying that, even though Akari loved Luke more than anything, she didn't always _like _him. Sometimes she came close to hating him. She'd lost count of how many times she had wanted to scream at him, punch him and kiss him in that order. _Why _did he have to be so childishly naïve? Once, in a particularly desperate moment, Akari had so suppress with great difficulty the urge to pull her top up and shout "See these? Yeah, I'M A WOMAN!"

What Akari couldn't understand was just _how _she fell in love with the idiot in the first place. They hadn't exactly gotten off on the right foot. Far from it in fact. If there was a prize for who could make the worst first impressions, Luke would win hands down…

--

Akari sighed happily, raising her hands proudly into the air as she spun delightedly around the main room of her new house, her pleased laughter echoing throughout the empty house.

A knock at the door.

"Yes?" Akari said, opening the door. A young man with wild blue hair stood there, wearing a such a wide grin on his face that it made Akari's jaws hurt just to look at him.

"Uh… You're the new farmer, right?" He asked.

"Ye-es. I'm Akari."

"Ah, good! I'm Luke. I work at the carpenter's." His impossibly wide smile grew even wider as he offered her a gloved hand. His grip almost crushed her hand as she shook it.

"My dad told me to come round to help you unpack. Y'know, case you need any heavy lifting done." Luke said.

"Heavy lifting?" Akari raised her eyebrows, putting her hands on her hips.

"Well, you _are_ kinda small, and you don't look all that strong…" Luke's voice trailed off under Akari's stony glare.

"I'm fine, thankyou." She said brusquely, offended. Pushing past the boy, she marched over to the moving van.

After that, you'd think Luke would've gotten the message that Akari didn't want his help. Yet half an hour later, he was still floundering uselessly around the farm grounds, trying to persuade Akari to let him assist her and generally getting in the way. Twice she'd tripped and almost fallen because he kept getting under her feet, and each time he'd spent five minutes apologising non-stop.

Eventually, all Akari's lighter possessions were unpacked and safely in the house. It took her almost two hours- over twice the time it would've taken had it not been for Luke's 'help'. By now Akari was understandably frustrated.

"Let me lift that." Said Luke as Akari attempted to carry her dresser from the van to her house.

"No, I'm… fine…" Puffed Akari, her muscles straining under the weight. She knew she could really use his help right about now- he was a good head and shoulders taller than her, and his well-toned biceps told her that he was probably a great deal stronger than she was- but she was too proud to accept his help now.

"No, you shouldn't- come on, I'll do it." Luke insisted, trying to take the dresser from Akari's arms. Akari pulled away a little too fast, stumbling and very nearly collapsing under the weight.

"Stop it!" She snapped.

"But you'll hurt yourself!" Luke protested, moving to take the dresser once again.

"I'll hurt _you_ if you don't leave me alone!" Said Akari threateningly. Luke backed off.

"Well, ok then…" He mumbled "…Sorry."

He kept his distance as she dragged the heavy dresser towards the house, hovering a few feet away just in case. Beads of sweat were forming on Akari's brow and she seemed thoroughly out of breath. Luke could see her arms shaking under the enormous weight. He swallowed.

Upon almost reaching the house, Akari relaxed. She was nearly there. A mere few steps from the door, her toe hit a rock and she stumbled. The dresser slipped from her hold. She made a grab for it, stupidly with only one hand. As the tremendous weight pulled down on her arm, her wrist twisted painfully. She let out a scream, and the dresser crashed to the ground.

Luke, who had been momentarily struck dumb by the whole scene, suddenly leapt into action.

"Oh God I'm so sorry this is all my fault are you ok what happened?" He blurted out all at once; rushing over to her side and helping her straighten up.

"Yes, I'm fine, I'm _fine."_ Said Akari sharply, though her wrist felt far from fine.

"Does your wrist hurt?" Luke asked, seeing the way Akari cradled it in her opposite hand.

"No, it's fine- ouch!" Akari snatched her wrist away when Luke tried to take it to examine. "Don't do that!"

"B-But you said it didn't hurt!" Cried Luke innocently.

"Yeah. Well. It does, all right?" Akari muttered, her pride still sore.

"Sorry."

"You didn't do anything."

"I know, but I should've. Then you wouldn't have gotten hurt."

Akari paused. She bit her lip and held out her swollen wrist for Luke to examine, the stabbing pain shooting up her arm as she did so. Luke took her small hand in his large ones and, very gently, checked it all over.

"Do you think it's broken?" Akari whispered fearfully.

"Nah. Just a sprain. You need to put pressure on it…" Luke said. Looking around, he asked "Do you have a first aid kit somewhere?"

"Uh, it's still in my case." Akari told him.

"Oh. Right…" Luke nodded, and, takingf his T-shirt between his hand and teeth, tore it right along the bottom.

"Don't tear you clothes!" Akari cried.

"S'okay. It's an old shirt." Said Luke, and, ignoring Akari's protests, he wound the makeshift bandage round and round her wrist. Akari winced in pain, but refused to cry out.

"Thanks." She said when he was done. A pause. "Go on. Say it."

Luke tilted his head to one side like a confused cat. "Say what?"

"'I told you so'" Akari offered.

"Why would I say that?"

"Because you were right and I was wrong." Akari admitted shamefully.

"Oh…" Luke realised "Do you… _want_ me to say it?"

"Well, no, but that's what everyone says when something like that happens." Akari explained.

"…Uh… I told you so?" Luke said experimentally.

Akari smiled in amusement "You're funny." She giggled, rubbing her wrist.

"Eheh." Luke grinned "Oh, and you should put some ice on your wrist to make to swelling go down. Just don't put it on your bare skin or you'll get cold burns."

"How do you know all that stuff?" Asked Akari curiously "About treating injuries, I mean."

"Oh, well we use a lot of pretty dangerous tools at the carpentry, and I'm kinda accident-prone anyway, so I guess I had to pick it up…" Luke grinned sheepishly at her, scratching his cheek.

"Is that how you got that plaster on your nose?" Akari asked with raised eyebrows.

"Oh, this? Yeah." Luke chuckled "I'm gonna have a pretty good scar when it heals!"

"You're crazy."

"Thanks!"

--

Akari had just found herself visiting the carpenter's shop more and more often, be it for work reasons or otherwise, and before she knew it, she had fallen in love. And with _Luke_ no less. Sometimes she seriously questioned her sanity. Or maybe the topic in question should be her taste in men.

"Grah! Stupid Luke!"

--

**I don't like it as much as the previous chapter, but what do you think?**


	4. Frustrations

"Hey, Anise

"Hey, Anise."

"Hello, Akari. How are you doing?" Anise smiled as her best friend tottered exhaustedly into the shop.

"Not so good." Akari admitted, slumping against the counter.

"Let me guess. Luke again?" Anise asked teasingly.

"What? No!" Akari huffed indignantly, tossing back her short cropped hair. "It's not like my entire life revolves around that moron! I was doing perfectly fine _before_ I met Luke, so why should it be any different now?"

"Well, you're in love with him." Anise sighed, smoothing down her skirt and coming from behind the counter to join her friend. "It must be frustrating…"

"Damn right it is!" Akari seethed "You know he just sees me as a friend. Maybe I should just settle for that."

"No! You mustn't give up! That's not the Akari I know." Anise insisted.

"Yeah, I guess," Akari gave her a half-hearted grin "But he never notices me. Maybe if I was pretty like you, then-"

"Oh, Akari, don't be silly!" Anise interrupted, going pink.

"Don't deny it!" Akari giggled. She had honestly never met a person more modest and gentle than her best friend. Akari had tried being quiet and gentle once. It didn't work out so well.

"Appearance doesn't matter when it comes to love." Said Anise wisely. That was easy for her to say- her, with her sheet of shiny black hair and ruby eyes and her amazing ability to make heavy dresses and brown clogs look fashionable. Akari herself had always been a little plain, at least on the outside.

"You could get any man you want, easy-peasy." Akari smirked.

"…Um, well, I don't know about that…" Said Anise shyly.

"What do you mean?"

"Well…"

"Oh, so you like someone? Tell me, tell me!" Akari begged like a little kid "Come on! I told you about Luke!"

"Oh all right then…" Anise sighed in defeat "If you must know, Doctor Won and I…"

"Won! Oh I should've known!" Cried Akari, mentally slapping herself "You two make such a cute couple!"

"Haa… He would never… You know how passive he is around women." Said Anise downheartedly.

"I guess you know how I feel then…" Said Akari. She looked sad for a moment, before quickly perking up. "Yuck! Look at us, acting like lovesick schoolgirls! _Yuck!"_

"It's all right for friends to have a moment of despair over men, isn't it?" Anise asked.

"No! Ugh, I can't believe myself!" Akari cursed herself. Look at her, acting like a pathetic kid with a crush! This wasn't her at all! No, the fiery, independent Akari would _never_ be so _weak!_ This was all that stupid Luke's fault, turning her into a fluffy pink thing!

Anise began to laugh at the look of disgust on Akari's face. Trust her to befriend a girl as headstrong and prideful as she.

"Well, all I really came for was some animal feed- June is always so greedy, you know, and May just ignores me unless I bribe her with something, and April was-"

"Akari." Anise interrupted for the second time "It's ok to love someone, you know."

"Oh, really?" Akari huffed indignantly, going pink "Well then, you won't mind me telling everyone about you and Won!"

"You wouldn't do that to me." Smiled Anise in complete confidence, handing the sack of feed over to Akari.

"Well, no." Akari grinned back, slinging the sack over her shoulder in a rather manly way. "You know too much! See you later, Anise!"

"Bye, Akari!"

--

"There you go, you horrible greedy beast." Said Akari, smiling fondly at the dairy cow as it practically inhaled the fodder she had just dumped in the trough. She had fed them for the second time that day already- she knew it couldn't be too good for them, but she just couldn't say no when her livestock looked at her with those large pleading eyes of theirs. Plus, more food and nourishment meant more milk and better quality wool, right?

August, one of her two sheep, nudged her elbow with its nose, giving baas of appreciation. Ruffling the mass of wool lovingly on its head, Akari smiled.

"Yes, yes, I hate you too." She smiled "Stupid buggers. You only like me when I feed you!"

August proceeded to baa in protest, obviously trying to deny Akari's claim.

"Oh, don't give me that look!" Akari tutted at herself for feeling momentarily guilty. 'It's not like they can understand me,' she thought "Can you, ugly?"

August gave her such a push that she almost fell over.

"Why you little…!" Akari began, but then her anger faded and she began to laugh "Ok, maybe I deserved that."

August blinked vacantly at her, which Akari decided meant 'Yes'.

"I know, I know, I'm just under a lot of stress, all right?! And you lot aren't making it any easier!" Akari snapped at her animals. They knew all about the goings-on of her daily life, and Akari was convinced that they were just trying to make things even more difficult for her.

Sighing, frustrated, Akari turned to stomp out of the barn, but looking back from the door and seeing her stupid, lovable livestock gazing blankly after her, she began to feel bad.

April mooed mournfully.

"You know I love you really." Akari sighed, and, smiling, she turned and walked out of the barn.

--

Thunk.

Thunk.

Thunk.

Bang!

"For goodness sake, boy! Watch where you're aiming that thing!" Dai shouted agitatedly across the carpenter's shop to his son.

"What?" Luke looked down to find that he had accidentally chopped the wall instead of the log he was supposed to be chopping, which was about two feet away. "Oh. Sorry, Dad."

"Never mind, never mind." Dai sighed. He'd long since learned to accept Luke's clumsiness.

Leaning his axe against his shoulder, Luke sighed and gazed out of the window. It was a pleasant day- not too hot, not too cold. In truth he would have liked the day off. It wasn't that he didn't like his work; it just seemed too nice a day to be cooped up in the carpentry.

Then he saw a small figure jog happily round the corner, up the slight hill towards the carpentry.

"Oh!" He said, setting his axe down heavily with a clatter, and rushing to the door "Akari's here."

Dai smiled tiredly as he watched his son hurtle right into the door. Shaking his head he said "How many times? Its _pull _not push!"

Nodding to himself, Luke wrenched open the door, almost taking it off its hinges, and sprinted outside toward his friend. Sighing, Dai left the counter and tested the door, swinging it back and forth. It creaked alarmingly. Dai tutted. That boy didn't know his own strength.

"Akari!" Luke said happily, picking her up bridal style and swinging her round. She was so petite it was impossible to resist picking her up like that.

"Luke, put me down!" Akari laughed in mock annoyance. In truth it actually felt quite nice, his arms around her waist and hers around his neck.

Placing the blushing Akari back on her feet, Luke asked "You need something?"

"W-Well, I finished my work early today, so I thought maybe… I could help you?" Akari asked.

"You want to help me?" Said Luke, confused.

"Uh… You know what, forget it. It doesn't matter anyway." Said Akari quickly, turning away, head bowed.

"No, wait!" Said Luke hurriedly, grabbing her wrist and pulling her back. "You can help! I mean, if you want to… If you don't want to then that's fine too, but…"

"No, no, I'll stay, I will!" Cried Akari, pulling her wrist away and jogging up the steps to the carpentry. "Come on then!" She hurried.

"Uh, yeah!" Said Luke, rushing in to Bagel Carpentry after her. "Hi Dad, Akari's here to help!" He paused "If that's ok with you."

"Oh, hello young Akari!" Dai said cheerfully, waving over to Akari.

"Hello sir!" Akari called back.

"Now, don't you let her hurt herself, ok, Luke?" Dai warned.

"I _won't _Dad!" Said Luke impatiently, running over to Akari and quickly getting into a very detailed method of how to hold a hatchet _properly._

"Luke, I use an axe all the time, I know how to do it." Said Akari impatiently.

"But this is different to just chopping stumps," Luke insisted "You gotta hold it properly so it cuts straight."

Akari rolled her eyes and muttered indignantly to herself, but allowed Luke to guide her hand into the correct position on the hatchet, right hand above left. She let him assist her first few chops to the lumber, but quickly took over herself. Akari was the type of woman who simply couldn't stand accepting help from anyone, even if it was Luke. To her, needing help was a sign of weakness.

Eventually the two split off onto separate cutting blocks. As Akari grew used accustomed to using the hatchet 'properly', she stopped chopping at her own pace. She couldn't help but notice how much faster Luke was at cutting the lumber than she was, and a sort of silent competition began, Akari trying desperately to keep up with Luke. Things always worked out like that with her. She was just born with that fiery passion and a burning desire to prove herself.

After a while, Luke straightened up and frowned at Akari. He had been casually chatting away to her, but she hadn't said a word. Her eyes, stony with determination, remained fixed on her hatchet and lumber.

"Hey, slow down! You'll hurt yourself." Luke warned.

"I won't." Akari assured, though she wasn't so sure. Her muscles felt as though they were on fire, and beads of perspiration were forming on her brow. She was breathing heavily through her nose- even though it was making her dizzy, she refused to let herself pant. With each chop the hatchet seemed to get heavier, but, seeing Luke cutting so effortlessly, filled her with a greater determination that _she would not lose._

"You're fast." Luke nodded approvingly.

"Not as… fast as you…" Akari breathed through gritted teeth, her eyes still on the hatchet and lumber.

Luke shrugged "You're faster than I was when I was a beginner."

Picking up his axe, he began his work again. The fact that he hadn't even broken a sweat yet rather annoyed Akari, despite that he was an experienced carpenter and a lot bigger and stronger than she was. Heck, she barely came up to his shoulders.

Seeing Akari struggling, Luke purposefully slowed down. Cutting faster than Luke made Akari feel a little proud of herself, even though she knew he was letting her get ahead.

"Luke, it's time for Akari to go home now." Dai called from across the workshop.

"What? It's closing time already?" Luke frowned, checking the clock on the wall.

"Come on, we've got to get this place cleared up." Dai ordered.

"Ah, you better go." Luke said to Akari, adding in a quieter voice "Dad gets mad as a bull when cleaning the place."

"I'd like to see that!" Akari giggled "Well, see you later."

"Bye! And thanks for your help." Luke grinned.

"You probably could've got it done faster without me…" Said Akari disappointedly.

"Nah, you were awesome! You should come help out again!"

"_Really?! _Uh, I mean, really?" Akari corrected herself, blushing.

"Yeah! If you're not too busy…" Luke quickly added.

"Luke!" Dai called impatiently from the back of the workshop.

Akari and Luke grinned at each other nervously.

"See you." Akari smiled before hurrying out of the shop.

"Luke!"

"Coming, Dad!" Luke cried, snatching up the broom as he dashed to the back of the workshop to join his father. Dai was already putting the tools away.

"Nice girl, she is." Dai remarked as he rubbed a chisel clean with a cloth.

"Yeah." Luke said vacantly, sweeping stray wood shavings into one big pile.

"You shouldn't push her so hard."

"What?"

Dai straightened up the look his son sternly in the eye. "She won't be able to work like you can, so go easy on her, all right?"

"Why won't she? I know she's just a beginner, but when she gets better-"

"That's not what I mean." Dai sighed "I mean because she's a woman."

Luke frowned "So?"

"_So, _she naturally won't be able to do it as well as you." Dai explained.

"Why?"

"_Because- _women aren't as strong as men." Dai said patiently.

"Why?"

"Because that's just the way things are."

"Why?"

"Because that's how nature intended it to be."

"Why?"

"Because men should work to protect women, and women should stay safe at home."

"Why?"

"Because they aren't as capable as men."

"Why?"

"Because they were born that way."

"Why?"

"Oh, _BECAUSE!" _Dai finally snapped. Throwing down his cleaning cloth with an frustrated sigh, he turned on his heel and stormed out of the workshop. That boy! With his naivety and his curiosity and his _endless, endless questions!_

Luke blinked innocently after his father. What on Earth was that all about? His father had never talked to him about women before, and especially not like _that._ He knew Akari wasn't as strong as he was, but that was just because she was small and his muscles were developed because of his carpentry work. She was stronger than most of the girls, and some of the boys too, despite her size. What would've made his father get so protective over women? Luke thought Akari made it quite clear that she didn't _need _protecting.

Shaking his head and thoroughly confused, Luke went back to his sweeping.

--

**I didn't like this chapter… I'll make a better one next! Sorry I made Dai all sexist- honestly, I almost wanted to slap him- but he's got his reasons for thinking that way, which be revealed later!**

**This chapter was mainly to show you more of Akari's character- you know how she talks to her animals, insulting them, but in a kindly voice? Yeah, I do that too…**


	5. Sorry!

A little ficlet I came up with while on holiday

**Ughh, this is the second time I've had to write this chapter… My computer broke, so I'm doing it on a different one…**

**Just a note to say: I'm pretty sure Luke's dad is called Dale in the English version, not Dai, but I'll keep it the Japanese way to avoid confusion.**

**--**

Dai sighed and shook his head as he watched Luke and Akari arm-wrestling over a worktop at the back of the carpentry. As he'd expected, Luke hadn't understood a word of what he'd been trying to tell him the other day. Of course he didn't. How could he? Dai lowered his head sadly. He supposed it was his fault. After Luke's mother had passed away, he had tried so hard to take over the roles of two parents. He had tried too hard, and Luke had learned virtually nothing of the female sex. To him, people were _people. _To him, women were just as capable as men. And Dai knew how dangerous that was. He could end up hurting someone, hurting _Akari._

Dai knew how close-minded he must sound to a lot of people. But he didn't care about that. Because he knew the dangers of being blind to peoples limitations. His wife had been so like Akari- determined, passionate. And he, so like Luke, oblivious to her weaknesses. She had always acted so strong, he had come to think of her as almost invincible. He had failed to protect her, and so she had died for it.

If he wasn't careful, Luke could end up leading Akari to the same fate.

Dai knew his son wasn't stupid. He had received limited schooling, true, but then so had most of the residents of their little town. And, yes, his grades hadn't been brilliant, but it was nothing _terrible. _He could still get by on his own. Just because Luke might not have been particularly academically gifted, and was naively oblivious to the roles of gender; but he was intelligent in other ways.

Because he saw people so simply, he saw them not for their gender, ethnicity, or outward appearance, but for _themselves. _He could tell a bad person from a good person at a snap of the fingers. It was as if these rose-tinted glasses he had permanently glued to his head not only blocked out what was on the outside, but allowed him to see right _inside_ a person. He could tell if they were happy or sad, angry or calm. If there was a slight hint of doubt, a twitch of annoyance, a flicker of uncertainty, Luke would spot it. He _knew _people; he knew what made them tick.

And yet he still hadn't realised that Akari was in love with him.

As Akari slammed Luke's limp hand down on the table for the third time, she snatched her hand away and stood up, the chair screeching out against the floor behind her.

"Stop that!" She ordered.

Luke knew what was wrong, but decided to play it dumb. "Stop what?"

Akari scowled, sitting back down heavily on her chair, her arms crossed. "You're letting me win." She said begrudgingly.

"No, I'm not." Luke insisted. He was a really bad liar.

"You are. You should win. You always win." Akari admitted huffily. "It's not worth anything if I don't beat you on my own strength."

Luke opened his mouth to protest, but then thought better of it. What Akari had just said had reminded him of when he was little, when he cheated on a spelling test. His parents had praised him for getting such a good result, but he hadn't felt happy at all. If you gained something dishonestly, you really didn't gain anything at all. He propped his elbow back up on the table, offing Akari his gloved hand.

"Rematch?" He asked.

Akari grinned. "Ok. But no letting me win, got it?"

"Right. This time I'm gonna thrash you!" Luke bragged.

"We'll see about that!" Akari said determinedly, sitting heavily back down on her chair and banging her elbow down on the table purposefully. Grasping Luke's large hand with her tiny one, they began the whole competition again. Only this time, Luke was not going to let her beat him so easily.

Dai sighed. He honestly didn't know what he was going to do with that boy…

--

"Dad? What's wrong?" Luke asked Dai that evening as they washed up the dinner plates, Luke washing, and Dai drying and putting away.

"Nothing," Dai said, tossing a saucepan carelessly into the cupboard.

"Are you angry with me?" Luke said. Then he dropped the plate he was washing. It plummeted to the floor and shattered into a million tiny china fragments. Luke swore. Then he clamped a hand over his mouth and began apologising profusely- he knew his father hated foul language (if only in other people, never himself).

"As an answer to your question, I _wasn't,_ but now I am." Dai grumbled through gritted teeth, fumbling under the counter for a broom to sweep up the mess.

Luke bit his lip and laughed nervously. "Sorry." He said again.

"Hm," Dai huffed.

There was an awkward silence. Dai swept the white china shards into the corner, muttering that he'd throw them out later, and that knowing Luke, he'd probably step them and cut his foot to ribbons.

"Dad…?" Luke said eventually. "Are you annoyed about… Akari?"

Dai straightened up, folding his arms, his eyebrows knitted together in a dark, serious stare. Luke swallowed. He knew that look. It was the 'you're-in-serious-trouble-young-man' look.

"I told you to go easy on her." Dai said.

"But Dad-"

"_No '_buts', Luke." Dai held up his hand for silence. "I told you not to push her, and you deliberately disobeyed me. Now, I didn't want to say anything in front of young Akari, but that was a very irresponsible thing to do. Do you even realise you could have broken her arm?"

"I… I didn't think…" Luke trailed off into silence. He couldn't _really _have broken her arm… could he? I mean, Akari was strong! She worked so hard all day, doing all sorts of hard manual labour- surely a little arm wrestle couldn't hurt her?

"Luke, I don't know if you've realised, but Akari is a very small, vulnerable young lady. You can't treat her so clumsily. Do you understand?" Dai said slowly.

"Y… Yeah." Luke nodded. "…Dad? Could I really have broken Akari's arm?"

"Yes, if you weren't careful." Dai said seriously.

"Oh… But that means… D-Did I hurt her?" Luke asked, more to himself than to his father. "If I hurt her… She won't be able to work, and then she won't get any pay, and then she won't be able to heat her home, or buy food, or pay her bills, or feed her livestock, or… or…!" His voice was getting more and more panicked.

Dai covered his face with his hand. It was impossible to stop Luke once he got going.

"I gotta go check on her!" Luke cried, grabbing his jacket and rushing to the door. "Bye, Dad, see you later!"

And he ran into the door, stopped to remember, then pulled it open. And then he was gone.

Dai honestly didn't know what he was going to do with that boy.

--

Akari had housed her animals safely away in the barn, and was all set for an early night curled up with a good book, when Luke came hurtling into her farm like a stray speeding bullet. He skidded around the corner, and before Akari had a chance to open her mouth to tell him to stop, he had crashed right into her, knocking them both to the floor.

"A-Akari! I'm so sorry!" Luke cried, his voice even louder than usual.

"Luke? What are you-? G-Get off me!" Akari spluttered, pushing Luke's shoulder from where she lay helpless on the ground, Luke pretty much pinning her down.

"Oh, yeah! Sorry!" Luke exclaimed, as if he'd just realised that the two of them were both sprawled out on the ground. Leaping to his feet and brushing himself down, he offered Akari his hand to help her up. Akari didn't take it, instead getting up quickly unassisted, tossing her hair, trying to regain her dignity.

"A-Are you ok? Did I hurt you…?" Luke asked worriedly.

"N…No. I'm fine." Akari said primly, her chin held high in the air.

"A-Are you sure? Your face is all red…"

"I'm _sure, _Luke." Akari snapped crossly, turning her head away. "A-Anyway! What do you need? I just saw you about two hours ago!"

"Well…" Luke stopped to scratch the back of his head embarrassedly. "Dad said that when we were arm-wrestling, I could've broken your arm, so I just came to see if…"

"If my arm was broken?" Akari asked sceptically, putting a hand on her hip and smirking, not taking him seriously at all.

"Well… Yeah."

Akari did a double take. "Luke! I think even _I'd _know if my arm was broken!" She said.

"I'm sorry!" Luke said. Again. "I didn't really think it would be broken! I just wanted to know if it was twisted or if it hurt at all!"

Akari's demeanour softened. After all, he _had _just come to see if she was all right. He had been _worried _about her, and all she could do was be rude to him. That was the strange thing about Akari. She loved Luke _sooo_ much, and yet all she could do was snap at him and treat him badly. She was never like that with anybody else. Just him. And yet, no matter how mean she was, Luke would always come back to her, never think badly of her.

Maybe her being mean to Luke was her way of trying to convince herself that she didn't need him. Well, if that was it, then it sure wasn't working.

She smiled.

"Luke, _really, _I'm okay." She said. "Look. Nothing to see here." She held out her skinny but uninjured arm as evidence.

Luke frowned, taking hold of Akari's wrist and puller her towards him for a closer inspection. True, her skin was a little dirty from the day's work, but other than one or two age-old scars, she appeared to be unharmed. But… her arm was _very _thin. He could hold onto it with one hand and his fingers easily touched each other around it. Her wrist was like a delicate twig that could snap at any second. Luke suddenly got nervous about holding onto it just in case he bruised her. He knew how clumsy he was.

He let go of her wrist, and Akari brought her hand back to her side.

"You're _sure _your ok? You don't want me to help you out with anything, you know, just in case?" Luke asked.

"Luke,_ please,_ how many times must I say this?" Akari sighed.

"Sorry."

Akari shook her head disbelievingly.

"You say 'sorry' too much!" She laughed half-heartedly. "It makes me feel like the bad guy!"

"I do…? Sorry. Oh, er… sorry. I mean-!" Luke chewed his lip and grinned sheepishly.

"No, _I'm _sorry, ok?" Akari said, still smiling.

"But you haven't done anything." Luke said.

"Ha ha! Neither have you, half the time you say it!" Akari giggled.

"Oh… Sorry."

--

**Short chapter, I know! In case you hadn't heard, my computer is broken, so I'm sort of having to cut everything down at the moment, as I'm not using my own computer.**

**Reviews are lovely! Please feel free to write one, if you want. Y'know, let me know what you liked, what you didn't like… If you have the time, that is!**


	6. On the way to market

A little ficlet I came up with while on holiday

**Yes, an update! I've been looking forward to writing this! And yeah, I don't know whether you can get to the city by horse and cart, but let's just pretend we can for the sake of the story!**

**--**

It was Saturday, and Saturday was the day that Akari travelled to the city to sell the various produce she had acquired during the week; and as Saturday was market day, that meant that there would be a lot of people passing by who would purchase her wares.

With her to the city went Roomi, Anise and Luke. Roomi, to sell the fine fabrics and items of clothing that her elder sister had immaculately woven and stitched. Roomi herself was poor at sewing, but she was a good talker and knew how to make a sale. Anise went to sell the produce from her own Souffle Farm, and she and Akari always engaged in a little friendly competition to see who could sell the most. She also sold the medicines she had mixed herself, though Akari warned her she was sure it wasn't legal. Luke went supposedly to sell the tools and furniture he and Dau had carved, though the girls were sure Dai just sent him along to keep him from under his feet for a day.

Not that Akari was complaining, mind you.

It had rained heavily the day before, and Akari had worried that the path might be too wet to travel safely across, but she had eventually decided to go anyway. And so, her produce was all packed safely onto her open-topped cart, along with Roomi's fabrics, Anise's milk, eggs and medicine, and Luke's woodwork; and her trusty mare, Nutmeg, was saddled up and strapped to the cart. Roomi, Anise and Luke rode on the cart, with Akari riding atop Nutmeg, leading the way.

The first small stretch of the path went smoothly, with only all little mud and a few puddles scattered across the gravel path; but to get to the city they had to pass through a forest, where it got very, very muddy. Nutmeg's hooves made a sickening squelch each time she took a step, and all four of them were sure that the cart was going to get stuck. It was just a matter of when.

It took twenty minutes to travel through only half of the forest- over twice as long as it would've taken had it not been for the rain. Roomi and Anise were both sharing looks, each knowing they should really turn back, but also knowing that Akari would be too proud to admit she was wrong and return to the town empty-handed.

Just as they were over half way through the forest, they encountered a small problem. Where there was originally a dip in the path, there was now a huge lake of muddy water flooding over the entire path and blocking their route completely.

"We are _not _going back." Akari said firmly before anyone had a chance to suggest it. She jumped down off of Nutmeg's back and picked up a long stick from the ground and stuck it into the 'lake'. The stick was longer than Akari's arm, but it was submerged completely under the muddy water. "It's too dangerous to cross on horseback." Akari admitted.

"Exactly. Come on, Akari, let's go home. We can come back in a few days, when the flood's gone." Anise said, beckoning Akari back to the cart.

"But… The milk will spoil, and we won't get as much business if it isn't market day…" Akari said dejectedly.

"Dad will kill me if I come back without profit _again…_" Luke said. He chewed his lip and look around. Then he leapt from the back of the cart- and walked right into the flood. The water was a lot deeper than expected, coming right up to his waist, and from the shocked look on his face it was probably very cold, too.

"Ahh! Luke, what are you doing?!" Roomi cried, scrambling down from the cart, being very careful not to scrape or dirty herself. "You'll get your clothes all wet and muddy! Yuck! Why did you _do_ that?"

Luke held out his hand to her.

"What are you doing?" Roomi asked warily.

"I'm going to carry you across." Luke answered. "Ok, who's first?"

The girls looked at each other anxiously. It was that they didn't trust Luke's strength, but he was renowned for being rather clumsy, and none of them were too keen to get covered head to toe in muddy water. But…

"Fine." Roomi sighed, resigning herself. She held out her arms to him. "Just don't drop me!"

"No problem!" Luke assured her, scooping her up so quickly that Roomi let out a small yelp. He proceeded to carry her across the pond. Because the path beneath the water had been reduced to mud, Luke kept slipping and once or twice it looked like he was going to fall. Roomi was terrified, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck and her face hidden in his shoulder, shaking and clinging on for dear life.

Akari sighed disgustedly and shook her head. "Look at her. It's just a bit of water, for goodness sake! She shouldn't be such a wimp." She huffed.

Anise smiled knowingly. "Are you sure you're not just jealous?"

"Jealous?" Said Akari incredulously. "Of that shaking little Lolita? No way!"

"Well, Luke _does _have his arms wrapped around her, and hers around him; and her head is pressed so closely to his chest and-"

"Shut up, Anise." Akari snapped.

Anise smiled. "I was just saying…" She sang innocently.

By this time, Luke had managed to unhinge the trembling Roomi from around him and set her down safely on the bank at the other side of the pond, and was wading his way back.

"Looks like it's my turn." Anise said teasingly. Her voice softened. "You don't mind, do you? If you do, I'll go back to the town. You can tell me if you don't want me to-"

"Anise! Really, I don't mind!" Akari insisted, forcing a smile.

"Well, ok then…" Anise said, smoothing down her heavy skirt and allowing Luke to pick her up and carry her across the pond. Akari could see her mouthing 'good luck!' to her as Luke set her down on the shore and began to return for Akari.

"Come on, Akari!" Luke urged.

"I… But what about Nutmeg? And the cart?" Akari protested feebly. She could see Anise shaking her head and waving her arms frantically at her for the other side of the pond, loudly whispering "What are you doing?!"

"You said yourself that it's too dangerous to ride her. I'll carry you across, and then I'll lead Nutmeg over by her reins." Luke explained, holding out his hand to her.

Akari looked around uncomfortably for a few seconds, before taking Nutmegs reins in her hands. "I'll lead her myself, thank you very much." She said, holding her head up high and marching right into the freezing, muddy water.

Both Anise and Roomi let out cries of protest.

"Akari, what are you doing?!"

"Your clothes! You're going to ruin your clothes!"

"Akari, don't- It's too deep for you!" Luke said, hurrying along beside her.

"It is _not _too deep for me." Akari declared firmly, though the cold water had already risen to her chest, and was getting deeper and deeper as she neared the centre of the flood.

"Akari, you'll catch a cold." Luke warned. He took her wrist, trying to persuade her to let him carry her the rest of the way, but Akari wasn't having any of it, and she snatched her wrist away.

"_You _seem to be just fine." Akari said, her teeth chattering.

"Well, yeah, but that's because I'm tall. The water only comes up to my waist." Luke said. "Look, it's nearly at your shoulders! Come on, Akari, don't be stupid. Let me carry you."

"I said no- hey, let me go!" Akari shouted angrily as Luke picked her up against her wishes. She struggled and kicked. "I don't _need _your _help_! Put me down!" She ordered furiously.

"I'm sorry! P-Please stop hitting me!" Luke spluttered.

"Get _off!"_ Akari screamed. She struggled. Luke slipped. And they both ended up completely submerged in the disgusting brown water. They both burst up to the surface, gasping and choking, having swallowed some of the muddy water.

"Oh, Luke, you _idiot!" _Akari shouted. "_Look _at me! Nobody's going to buy anything from me looking like _this!"_ She glared at Luke, who was ignoring her ranting. "Hey! Pay attention to me!"

Luke took off his bandana and shook out his azure blue hair like a dog, spraying Akari with muddy droplets of water.

"H-Hey!" Akari cried, splashing him back.

"Sorry!" Luke cried, holding up his hand in surrender. He grinned apologetically at her, water dripping from his hair and the tip of his nose. The overall effect was so humorous that Akari found herself giggling despite herself.

"You two!" Roomi cried from the bank. "Are you all right?"

"What? Oh, yeah…" Akari said quickly, taking Nutmeg's reins and leading her over to dry land with Luke following close behind. Upon reaching the bank, Akari lent on Anise and set about emptying the water out of her huge hiking boots.

"Oh, ugh!" She cursed, brushing back her sopping wet hair. "I look like I slept in a swamp! I'll never sell anything now!" She thought for a moment. "Hey, Roomi, you've got some spare clothes with you, right…?"

Roomi held up her hands. "No way! I'm supposed to _sell _them!" She said, pulling a disgusted face when Akari playfully flicked some droplets of water at her.

"Come on, we'll miss them market at this rate!" Akari said, hopping up onto Nutmegs back. Anise and Roomi climbed carefully back onto the cart. Luke moved to follow them, but Akari stopped him.

"Oh no you don't!" She said. "You'll soak all our stuff if you get on there!"

Luke shrugged. "Ok then. I'll walk."

They continued up then path towards the city in silence. Akari could hear the muffled, confused whispers of Anise and Roomi behind her, and her face burned at the realisation that they were talking about _her. _If you're going to talk behind someone's back, at least do it quietly enough for them not to hear, that's what Akari thought.

Luke shook out his hair again and shrugged off his soaking wet jacket, slinging it over his shoulder along with his bandana. Then he took off his shirt and began to wring it out. Anise and Roomi both immediately turned their attention to Akari, dying to see her reaction; however Akari was sat bolt upright and looking straight ahead at the path before her, not paying Luke a second glance.

Roomi scrambled up over the cart's load and leaned over the edge so she could talk to Akari.

"Akari!" She whispered. "You're not looking!"

Akari raised her head up high. "So?" She said matter-of-factly. "Why should I?"

"_Because," _Roomi said, rolling her eyes. "He's your… well, you two are… you're… aren't you…?"

"Aren't we _what?"_ Akari asked snippily.

"You know!" Roomi insisted. "You're… I thought you two were in love!"

Akari faltered for a second, then tossed back her damp hair, purposefully spraying Roomi with water. "Of course we aren't." She said plainly. "Whatever gave you that idea?"

Roomi frowned, wiping the muddy flecks of water off her face. She said indignantly, after a pause "You don't fool _me,_ Akari. You do _so _love him."

Akari gave Nutmegs reins a sharp jerk so that the whole cart shook roughly. Roomi yelped and quickly grabbed onto the side of the cart to stop herself falling off. She stuck her tongue out at Akari.

"That just proves my point!" She said triumphantly before scrambling back over the merchandise to the safety of the cart.

"Luke, put your shirt on in the presence of a lady." Akari announced loudly without looking at him.

"Lady, what lady?" Luke joked, pretending to look around.

"Oh, you little-!" Akari scowled at him in mock anger. "Just wait till we get home, I'll sort you out good!"

Akari's smile faded, though, as Luke's words sank in. He had only been having a laugh, but what he said was true. She was right in front of him, and yet he still didn't see her as a woman. Lady, what lady… Akari knew she was no lady, but she was still a female. Why couldn't he see that?

And speaking of home… Just _how _were they going to get back?

--

That evening, Dai had just finished working out the profits for then month when he heard the door burst open. The huge bang and the overly-loud shout of 'Sorry!' told him that his son had returned from the city.

"How much did you ge-" Dai stopped short of the end of his sentence at the sight of his son stood soaking wet, covered head to toe in mud and looking very much like he'd quite literally been dragged through a hedge backwards. "I'm not even going to ask."

Luke smiled sheepishly at his father, tugging at a stray lock of hair that fell over his forehead, involuntarily dripping water all over the floor. He sneezed.

--

Akari gave a small tug at Nutmeg's reins, and she came to a halt at their last stop before she could return home. Anise was already back at Souffle Farm, but Roomi always needed a little help unpacking what she didn't manage to sell from the cart, and luckily Akari was always willing to lend a hand.

"You always bring too much," Akari huffed as she lifted a particularly full box of clothes off the cart.

"Do not. It's my sister who _makes _too much!" Roomi protested. "And anyway, you never know just how many people will be at the market. What if one day I decided to bring less, and there was a group of fashion models desperate for a new look? I'd have missed out on a golden opportunity!"

"What on Earth would a group of fashion models be doing _here?"_ Akari grumbled. "You could at least help me!"

"I can't. I'm not strong enough." Said Roomi pitifully.

Akari grimaced in disgust. She could never tolerate weak-willed people who gave up before they even tried. _She _was the same size as Roomi- in fact, Roomi was a few inches taller- and _she _could lift this stuff with only a little effort! Roomi just wasn't helping because she _thought _she wasn't capable of it; that was all. Looking at her, Akari could see why she would think herself weak. Though the two of them were the same size, small and skinny; Akari's stick-thin arms were strong, and the way she held herself determinedly upright gave her a powerful presence. Roomi drew into herself so that she looked even smaller, her porcelain skin and thin limbs gave her a fragile appearance, and her doll-like dresses made her look a lot younger than she really was.

Akari couldn't for the life of her figure out how Roomi could actually _like _looking like that. If _she _were to wear dresses and cross her knees and stay neat as a new pin all day, she was sure she'd go insane.

"Open the door, would you?" Akari puffed, large boxes piled up in her arms. Roomi opened the door to the seamstresses and she stumbled in and quickly dumped the stack of boxes on the floor. "Thanks."

"Roomi, dear, you really should do that yourself!" Said Selaf, Roomi and Kotomi's grandmother, and the head seamstress of Chiffon Tailoring. She scuttled over to Akari and Roomi. "Come in, come in, dear; have a cup of tea!" She said, hustling Akari inside before she could protest.

"Grandma," Said Roomi indignantly. "_What _is _he _doing here?" She pointed an accusing finger at Juli who was sat through the back of Chiffon Tailoring drinking a cup a tea.

"He just happened to pop in and I invited him to have a drink!" Said Selaf, adding kindly to Juli "Would you like a refill?"

"Grandma! You can't just invite the riff-raff into our shop for tea!" Roomi cried in protest. Turning to Akari, she said "Of course, I don't mean _you, _Akari. Just that transvestite over there!"

Juli glared at her, but said nothing.

"I bet you're here to bug my sister again, aren't you?" Roomi snapped. "Why don't you just leave her alone, she doesn't like you!"

"Roomi!" Selaf said strictly, scurrying back into the main room with two cups of tea- one for Akari and one for Juli. "I shall not have you being so rude to our guests!"

"…Sorry." Roomi said begrudgingly, pouting. She shifted over to Kotomi, who was busying herself with the sewing machine. "He wasn't bothering you, was he sis?" She whispered.

"Um, n-no, I'm fine, really…" Kotomi said, shooting wary glances up at Juli and Akari.

"Well… if he ever _does _bother you, tell me." Roomi said protectively. "I'll sort him out!"

Akari took a sip of her tea and perched herself awkwardly on the old sofa, as far away from Juli as possible. It wasn't that she didn't like Juli, it was just that they hadn't really spoken before, and it was a bit unnerving to be having tea with a stranger.

Juli raised his eyebrows. "What happened to _you?"_ He asked over the top of his teacup.

"Excuse me?" Akari said indignantly.

"You're all wet." Juli stated the obvious. "What happened?"

"Hmph." Akari tossed her head back, going red. "If you must know, that careless carpenter dropped me in the flood that's gathered in the forest. And I barely sold a thing because of it!"

Juli chuckled. "Shame." He said. Akari didn't like the way he laughed, or his tone of voice. It sounded like he was making fun of her. And Akari hated to be ridiculed.

"Well, I'm sorry," She began haughtily. "But had I known you were going to laugh at my misfortune I would not have told you! I suppose I made the mistake of thinking you could actually be a gentleman. Ha!" Akari gave a forced laugh, sitting back on the sofa and folding her arms moodily.

Juli's eyes widened in surprise, He had not been expecting _that _reaction. "Sorry." He said. "I wasn't making fun of you, really. It's just whatever I seem to say ends up sounding unkind one way or another."

"Hm. Well." Akari said. "I'll forgive you this time. But next time have a little more tact!"

"Yes, miss." Juli said jokingly, smiling.

And this time, Akari smiled back.

--

**You've probably realised, but I've gone through this whole story so far without ever saying the name of the town they live in! Well, that was because I didn't know it, heh heh heh. But I do now! It's called 'Waffle Town'. Weird name, I know!**

**And even though the English names have been released, I'm still sticking to the Japanese names, as it will cause confusion if I start changing things around now!**

**I know Roomi was a little nasty to Juli there, but I think we all know why. Those of you who don't, never fear! It will be revealed soon.**

**Oh, and another thing. I don't really know the personalities of the minor characters like Selaf and Dai, so I'm sort of making them up. And the information on the personalities of even the major characters hasn't really been enlightening, so I'm having a tough time trying to keep them IC while not really knowing much about them!**

**Reviews are lovely, and inspire more chapters, though by no means will I abandon this fic if I receive none! I'll just have to try harder!**

**We're gonna have maybe a bit of Juli/Akari in the next chapter- confusion and maybe a bit of jealousy ensues! I can't wait!**


	7. Heartache

A little ficlet I came up with while on holiday

**Hi everyone! I've done a bit more digging on the characters, and hopefully they will stick more thoroughly to their personalities from now on!**

**--**

By Saturday evening Luke wasn't well. His head was throbbing, his eyes burned, he couldn't stop sneezing, and whenever he tried to talk it felt as if his throat was being painfully grated. A few hours later, he was worse. And sure enough, by Sunday morning his father could hear him retching over the sink.

When Luke began bound down to the workshop as usual, Dai grabbed him by the wrist and roughly jerked him back. "Oh no, you don't," He said sternly. "You're staying right here, young man."

"But-! But-! But Da-ad!" Luke cried in protest. "I'm nearly finished that chair! It just needs a few splinters sanded off… C'mon!"

Dai shook his head. "No way, no how. I'm not having you working in your condition."

"B-But I'm _fine! _Honest!" Luke insisted.

"You were being sick."

"I was not!"

Dai raised his eyebrows at his son's nervous grin. It was just so painfully obvious when Luke was lying- and even if Dai _did _fall for his charades, he would always without fail get a terrible attack of guilt and blurt out everything anyway. Luke sighed in defeat.

"Okay," he admitted. "I _was _sick. But that was _ages _ago! I can still work! At least let me finish-"

"Luke, you can ask me a million times, and the answer will still be no." Dai raised his hand in indication for Luke to shut his big mouth. "Now get back to bed, young man."

Luke hung his head, defeated. "But-" He began feebly, but was cut off by Dai's sharp look of warning. "Fine…" He muttered, trudging slowly back up the first half of the stairs, then clamping a hand over his mouth and bolting up the last half three steps at a time. He only just got to the bathroom in time before another surge of vomit came forth.

A weak croak of "I'm okay!" could be heard from upstairs.

Dai shook his head. He honestly didn't know what he was going to do with that boy.

--

Business was slow throughout the day, with only a few customers throughout. More than once Dai had spotted Luke trying to sneak into the workshop, and each time he had given him a severe telling off, and sent him away, but he just kept coming back.

By the time Dai closed up the workshop and returned home, Luke was so restless he was almost jumping on the spot.

"Luke, what are you doing up?" Dai asked sternly.

"Dad, please, _please _let me go to work tomorrow!" Luke begged, throwing himself before him father dramatically. "I've been stuck in here all day, and it's _killing _me!"

Dai laughed. "You can work if you are better. I am making no promises."

"I will be better! I will! I swear on my life!" Luke cried.

"Hm," Said Dai, amused. "Were you sick today?"

"No." Said Luke quickly. Too quickly. Dai frowned at him.

"Okay, _once." _Luke said.

Dai crossed his arms. "Twice."

Dai coughed. "Okay, okay! Eight times! Sheesh!" Luke raised his hands into the air in frustration. Seeing his father's concerned look, he said "It's not _that _bad!"

"Akari came calling for you today, by the way." Dai said offhandedly, hanging his work gloves and overcoat over the banister and pulling off his boots and circling his ankles, trying to relax.

"Aw, man! Dad, you could've called me!" Luke said disappointedly.

"And risk you getting _her _ill as well? No, no, I told her you were not well. She seemed… worried." Dai said. Luke bit his lip. He knew Akari would be blaming herself for the fiasco in the flood the day before. "Still, its better that you didn't see her, especially since…"

Luke ears pricked up. "Since what?" He asked curiously.

"Well, she…" Dai sighed. "If you must know she had a 'friend' with her. A _boy."_

"Oh?"

"Some purple-haired fellow, wears this fancy get-up…" Dai waved his hand vaguely.

"Oh, that's Juli." Luke confirmed. He'd know that description anywhere. "That's weird… I didn't think Akari and Juli were that close…" He shrugged. "Ah well. Guess she didn't tell me…"

"Hm. Well." Dai huffed. "I'd better make dinner-"

"I'll help!"

"No, you won't. If you get us both ill, then where will business be?" Dai said firmly. "No, you go back to your room and rest."

"B-B-But! I've been resting all _day!" _Luke wailed. "That's... That's… That's not fair!"

"Luke, get to you room and grow up a bit while you're there. Now move it." Dai ordered.

Luke gave a snort of disapproval, but dragged himself upstairs anyway. "I'll never be able to sleep tonight…" He complained. "Not with all this energy…"

--

Luke winced as the wooden floorboards creaked beneath his feet as he walked across the landing. Biting his tongue, he dared to look towards the door to his father's room. Luckily, Dai's loud snores could still be heard echoing from within. Luke sighed silently with relief, and quickly hopped down the staircase. There was simply no way he could get to sleep like this. Usually he used up all his energy on his work, but since he had missed out on a day, the energy had bubbled inside him stronger and stronger until he felt if he didn't do something to use it up, and _soon, _that he would erupt like a volcano.

He had made up his mind. He would just do a little work, maybe go for a quick walk around the town, and then return home, his father none the wiser. He had had to wait until Dai was in bed and asleep before he knew it was safe to leave. Fortunately Dai had been tired after having to run the business alone for a day, and had decided to turn in early, and it wasn't long before Luke could hear the ground-shaking snores coming from his father's room.

Luke walked down to the workshop and switched on the light. Then he picked up the chisel and trotted over to the workbench where he had left the chair he had been working on the day before. Thankfully he didn't have to do any hammering, or anything that would cause a loud noise and perhaps wake his father. He took the mallet and began to carefully chisel the splinters from the chair. In honesty, Luke didn't really like chiselling all that much. It required too much precision for his clumsy hands, and often he ended up making whatever he happened to be working on more splintered than it had been before he began. Then he would have to chisel it down even more, and more than once he had ended up completely chiselling the object away.

Still, there was no time to be picky. He had been working on that chair for a while now, and besides, he needed a vent for his energy, and chiselling was as good as anything.

He heard distant voices outside, growing louder and louder as two people seemed to draw closer to Bagel Carpentry. He glanced out of the window to see Akari jogging down the path. Luke began to wonder why she would be out all alone so late at night, but then he saw her shout back to someone, and from over the hill came Juli, calling something back to her.

Luke frowned. Why would Akari be out with Juli? The two of them weren't even that close. He saw the two of them sit down on a bench further up the path. They were talking. He could see Akari's face from the angle he was at, and the only thing her eyes were seeing was the man in front of her. He knew she didn't know he was there, and so she wouldn't look at him, but he still couldn't help feeling a little… annoyed? _He _was the one who always went to look up at the stars with Akari. Why did Juli suddenly have to butt in like this?

But he didn't mind all that much.

Luke wanted to be the one out there with Akari. She was _his _friend, after all. If only he hadn't been ill, maybe he would be the one out there with her.

But he didn't mind really. No, not a bit.

But why did it have to be _Juli? _Come on! He and Akari had _nothing _in common! She was determined and compassionate and fiery and fierce. Juli was just some conceited, self-absorbed pretty-boy. They just didn't _look _right together. Luke found himself wanting to go and interrupt the pair.

But he didn't. Because he didn't mind really. No, not at all.

--

"You're joking!"

"No, I'm serious! He actually said the Harvest Goddess could-" Akari couldn't continue, instead finding herself muted by her laughter yet again.

"Oh God…" Juli took a deep breath to try and calm his laughter, wiping the tears of mirth from his eyes. "He's too stupid for his own good."

"He's not." Akari said quickly.

"Oh, right. You're in love with him." Juli said apologetically.

"I'm not." Akari protested. Then she sighed, leaning back on the bench and staring up at the stars. "Well, maybe just a little…" She murmured. She looked back at Juli. "But he doesn't love me, you know."

"Heh." Juli snorted. Akari thought he was going to make fun of her and sharpened her tongue ready to snap at him, but to her surprise he said "I know how you feel."

"What?" Akari said, confused.

"Come on, Akari. Don't say the stupidity's catching." Juli chuckled. "Why do you _really _think I was at Chiffon Tailoring the other day? And don't say to buy clothes."

Akari laughed nervously- that had been exactly what she was going to say.

"Kotomi." Juli said.

"What about her?"

"I'm in love with her." Juli explained, raising his eyebrows at Akari as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"You're-? Oh!" Akari realised. "Well, I'm sure _Kotomi _knows the differences between the genders- why don't you make a move? You know, talk to her. I know she's a bit quiet, but she gets a lot more friendly after a bit…"

"She hates me." Juli confirmed matter-of-factly, crossing his arms, sitting back on the bench and looking into the distance.

"What? How can you be so sure?" Akari asked.

"Well, even as a child I liked her…" Juli's voice was taking on the tone of a confession. "And, well, it's not uncommon for a boy to tease the girl he likes… I suppose I must've overdone it- I'm sure you've seen how timid she is now."

"Juli…" Akari began.

"It's ok. I know I'm not a very nice person. My only value is my face." Juli said, holding his perfectly manicured hand to his heart dramatically.

"Juli! That's not true!" Akari cried. She turned to face him, taking his hands in hers and looking straight into his red eyes. "Yeah, you can be a bit mean, and true, you are sort of self-centred, but I'm sure you have a lot of good points too!"

"Oh really? Like what?" Juli quizzed.

"Well…" Akari thought for a bit. "When I first met you, I didn't think much of you, but now I've talked to you properly I can see you're a good-hearted individual with a good sense of humour. If you were to talk to Kotomi, then she'd see that too… Wouldn't she…?"

"Heh. Thanks for trying, Akari." Juli said.

"Looks like we're both suffering the heartache of unrequited love…" Akari said, jokingly at first, but her words fading sadly away towards the end of her sentence.

Juli looked at her, and she looked at him. They both smiled sadly. And, for once, Akari didn't feel ashamed of her one-sided love. She felt… accepted. She leaned forwards and threw her arms around Juli in a warm embrace. Juli was momentarily stunned at the usually tough Akari's sudden burst of vulnerability, then raised his arms to hug her back.

"Thanks." She said.

And Luke looked away from the workshop window.

--

**Did I mention how much I love reviews, hint hint?**

**And I would like to give kudos to the novel 'Tess of the D'Urbervilles' for giving me the idea of crossing the flood, which was used in the previous chapter.**


	8. What NOT to ask your parents

A little ficlet I came up with while on holiday

**Hi, I'm back! **

**Um, you know in the last chapter, when Akari and Juli were laughing about something Luke said? It was from this scene:**

**uk./watch?vFIaBFzFRR4c**

**--**

Luke was practically biting his tongue right off as he ever-so-carefully crept back up the stairs. He was almost at the top now- it had taken him five minutes to climb the single flight of stairs. He knew he could probably afford to go a _little _faster, but he didn't want to risk waking his father. Phew, made it. His room was just across the landing, now. But, so was his father's. He tiptoed silently across the landing, then stopped a few feet before his door. He knew there was a creaky floorboard right in front of his doorway. Swallowing, he slowly lowered one foot onto the floor. When it made no noise, he began to move the other. It was tricky to stand on one leg like that, and his father's snoring almost distracted him into losing his balance. He heard the bedsprings creak alarmingly loudly as his father turned over on his bed, and Luke was shocked into teetering on his heel, holding out his arms to keep his balance. He put his other foot down- quietly.

Luke breathed a sigh of relief. He had made it right to his bedroom door without waking Dai. He took a step forward- and walked right into the door. There was a loud bang, and Luke's nose became a wonderful scarlet fountain.

"Luke…"

Luke winced, pulling his face away from the unloving wood and quickly cupping his hand in front of his nose to keep the blood from pouring all over the floor. "Y-Yeah, Dad?"

"Nothing."

--

When Luke woke up the next morning, Dai was already downstairs making breakfast. Deciding it probably wasn't the best idea to go hurtling into the kitchen with his usual cheerful shout of 'Good morning!' or something similar, considering the events of the night before. So instead he quietly walked downstairs, seriously considering making a bolt for it as soon as he reached the bottom. He probably would've done so, if his father had not shouted:

"Luke! You're not going out without breakfast. Get in here."

Luke sighed, his shoulders slumping. From the tone of his father's voice, he could tell he was in _big _trouble. He traipsed into the kitchen in silence. Cutting a slice of bread from the loaf on the counter, he popped it into the toaster and set the timer. Then he collapsed onto one of the two chairs and leaned his elbow on the table.

"Luke, did you wash your face this morning?" Dai asked plainly, barely taking his eyes off the cup of coffee he was stirring.

"Yes," Luke said.

Dai looked at his son and raised his eyebrows. "You didn't'. And I don't think you can deny it with _that _much evidence on your face." He said. Luke raised his hand to cover his nose, which was crusted with dried, black blood.

"Sorry." Luke mumbled. "I couldn't sleep last night so I thought I would do some work to get rid of my energy but I didn't want to ask you because I knew you'd say no so I waited until you were asleep and I went to the workshop anyway and I did finished chiselling that chair and then I saw-"

"Luke." Dai said sharply. Luke fell silent. "I don't want to hear your excuses."

"Sorry…"

"You've been a very stupid boy." Dai said resignedly.

"I know. I'm sorry." Luke said, his head bent.

Dai sighed. His son was one of those irrepressible people who could never foresee the consequences of their actions. Luke wasn't one to look ahead and think about his actions. Dai knew he didn't do it on purpose, that he wasn't _trying _to be careless- he just lived for the moment. Luke didn't go looking for Trouble. But Trouble always managed to find _him,_ all the same.

Dai sniffed the air suspiciously. "Do you smell burning?" he asked.

Luke frowned. Then his eyes widened in horror as he glanced towards the toaster.

"Aw, damn it!"

--

Just as Luke was applying the fishing coat of varnish to the now-completed chair, he heard voices coming up the path towards the carpentry. Pulling back the blind that covered the window, his face broke into a smile.

"It's Akari!" He shouted to his dad. He was about to dash off out the door to meet her as usual, but then he saw another person walking briskly down the path to amble beside Akari. Luke's face fell. "Ah, she's with the tranny."

"Don't be rude." Dai called absent-mindedly from the opposite side of the workshop.

"Hello, Luke!" Akari greeted cheerfully as she walked into the carpentry. Her _acquaintance_ just stood at the door, leaning casually against the door frame, wrinkling his nose purposefully at the dusty atmosphere that hung about the carpentry. Luke frowned- what, their work wasn't good enough for him?

"Hi Akari," Luke grinned. "…Hi, Juli."

Juli smirked. "Ah, you must be… The Harvest Goddess' sex toy."

"Her _what?"_

"Juli!" Akari shrieked, horrified. Blushing, she turned to Luke "I'm so sorry!" She garbled frantically, as Juli snickered to himself in the background.

"Uh… That's… That's okay. Did you need anything?" Luke asked, still in shock.

"Oh, yes, I did, um…" Akari stopped to think, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "Oh, rats, now I've forgotten! I think I… Oh, God, what happened to your nose? And your _hand?_" Akari broke off her thoughts as she noticed the bloodstains on Luke's upper lip and the bandage wrapped around the fingers of his right hand.

"Oh! Uh…" Luke scratched the back of his neck, laughing embarrassedly. "I walked into my bedroom door. And got my hand stuck in the toaster… what luck, eh?"

"Oh… that doesn't sound fun…" Akari nodded sympathetically.

"Wait, wait, you got your _hand _stuck in a _toaster?_" Juli butted in from the doorway. "_How _did you manage that, might I ask?"

Luke felt his face begin to burn. "Shut up!" He snapped rudely. He knew it was against the code to be uncivilised to customers, but Juli was asking for it! "Stupid tranny…"

"Luke!" Dai's voice hollered from across the workshop, and the angry thudding of heavy boots could be heard echoing throughout the room as Dai marched furiously over to Luke, Akari and Juli.

"Dad!" Luke cried hurriedly. "I didn't mean to- ow, ow, OW!" He creased one eye up in pain as his father grabbed him roughly by the ear and twisted, hard.

"Apologise at once." Dai ordered angrily.

"Sorry."

"Not to me- to _him!" _Dai said, shaking Luke's head roughly by his ear.

"Ow! _Sorry!" _Luke shouted, his cheeks bright crimson. Could this _be _any more embarrassing? He was nearly twenty years old, and being publicly scolded by his father for being rude. Yeah, that was pretty bad.

"Better." Dai said, releasing Luke from his iron grip. Luke stumbled away, rubbing his ear and glaring at his father's turned back. Akari and Juli were sniggering helplessly. Akari quickly elbowed Juli in the ribs, trying- and failing- to get him to stop.

"P-Perhaps we should come back later… yeah, I think we should do that!" Akari said, forcing a friendly laugh. She pushed Juli hard so that he almost fell out of the shop. "See you later!"

She gave Luke an apologetic grin and shrugged, as if to tell him not to worry about it. And suddenly Luke didn't want to ground to open up and swallow him _quite _so much.

The door closed.

"DAA-AAD!!" Luke wailed as soon as he was sure Akari was out of earshot. "Why did you _do _that?!"

"How many times have I told you- be _polite _to customers!" Dai called back.

"He wasn't even a customer! He was just tagging along after Akari!" Luke shot back.

Dai gave him a warning look. "Still, it's no way to make a name for yourself."

"B-But… Right in front of Akari and everything!" Luke flustered angrily. He hadn't inherited his father's fiery temper, but he could definitely match it if he was pushed enough.

"What does Akari have to do with this?" Dai asked quizzically.

"Nothing! She's fine…" Luke said. "I just don't like that stupid transvestite Juli laughing at me, okay?!"

"You shouldn't call people that." Dai chastened.

"But he _is!"_ Luke muttered feebly. He leaned against the wall, sighing. "He thinks he's so great. Akari can't actually _like _him… Can she? Dad, can she?"

"What?" Dai called back, turning to his son and folding his arms. "Akari is her own woman. She's free to like whomever she chooses." He said wisely.

"Yeah, but… Nothing. I don't mind." Luke sighed, physically shaking the thoughts from his head. "…Dad?"

"Yes?" Dai said exasperatedly, not bothering to look at his son as he trudged back to the counter.

"What's a sex toy?"

--

**Ha ha ha! Sweat-drop That can go on the ever-growing list of 'What NOT to ask your parents'.**

**Read and review!**


	9. Must be the drink

A little ficlet I came up with while on holiday

**I'm back! I must apologise for the last chapter, I know it wasn't that good. Hopefully I can make amends with this one!**

**--**

A week passed. Akari still made regular visits to the Bagel carpentry, though still not quite as often as she used to, and every time she would have a legitimate reason to be there instead of the pathetic excuses she would babble out before. Sometimes she was alone, but, more often then not, someone was with her. Occasionally it was Anise, but usually it was Juli. And, for some reason, Luke was not happy about that at all.

"I mean, what does he really _do _anyway apart from all that jewellery rubbish? It's not like its any thing important. And he's not even that _nice _to her! I've seen them together; he kind of pushes her around, y'know. And-"

"Luke," Bo sighed, straightening up and wiping his brow with the back of his hand. They were working outside, and there was a cold, sharp wind blowing; but the intensity of their work was still as gruelling as ever. "You haven't shut up about Juli all day. Is he really that bad? You've been saying some really mean things, you know!"

"I-I have?" Luke thought. He knew he hadn't been completely fair in judging Juli, and his ever-guilty conscience was nagging at him as usual, but a little of him was saying he didn't care all the same. "Sorry… It's just annoying to see him tagging along after Akari all the time. It's like… Nothing. Never mind."

Bo frowned. "Luke, are you jealous of Juli?" He asked carefully.

"No. No!" Luke said, outraged as Bo's question sank in. "Why would I be jealous of _him?"_

"W-Well, I wasn't meaning to offend you," Bo said quickly. "It just sounds, from the way you were talking, like you're angry that Akari's giving him so much attention…"

"It's nothing like that!" Luke insisted.

Bo shrugged. "If you say so…"

Luke glared uncharacteristically at Bo. He began to think Bo was getting the wrong idea about him and Akari. Luke wasn't quite sure what that idea could possibly be, but he was sure it couldn't be good. Picking up his tools, he marched away from Bo to further across the field, holding his head up high in a way similar to Akari- only to embarrass himself by tripping over a stump and falling flat on his face.

He jumped to his feet hurriedly. "That wasn't funny!"

"I'm not laughing," Bo said innocently, though his eyes told a different story.

"Hmm…"

"Hey, Luke! Bo!" Akari's voice rang out as she sprinted cheerfully over to them from across the path- thankfully, alone. The townsfolk could always tell when Akai was near- she had a surprisingly loud voice for someone so small. When Akari shouted, plants withered and died, babies howled, dogs barked rabidly; and even hundreds of miles away, the big man in the Whitehouse would shudder and think 'Akari'.

"Hi, Akari, miss," Said Bo politely. "Can I help you today?"

"Oh, yeah, here," Akari rummaged in her backpack and carefully slid out the head of her sickle, which had completely dislocated from its wooden handle.

"You broke you sickle?" Bo said.

"I didn't _break _it, it fell off." Akari said primly. "And it wouldn't have done anyway if those stupid manufacturers had made it properly in the first place!"

Bo sighed and took the sickle from her hands. Honestly, it was unbelievable, the amount of wood-based items that just happened to break around Akari's farm! It was like someone was doing it on purpose.

"Hi, Akari!" Luke greeted, leaping back over the stump and jogging over to her and Bo. "You're… on your own?"

"Ye-es, why wouldn't I be?" Akari asked, puzzled.

"Well, you've been with Juli a lot lately, so I just expected…" Luke trailed off, uncertain. Then he grabbed Akari's wrist and pulled her out of the gate of the work yard. "C'mon. Let's go for a walk."

"What, n-now?" Akari flustered.

"Yeah! Just you and me, come on!" Luke urged.

"O-Ok," Akari said, still surprised, but now smiling.

"Could you take my shift, Bo? Thanks, bye!" Luke shouted as he and Akari trotted away.

"H-Hey!" Bo cried in protest.

"I'll take your shift tomorrow!" Luke yelled back, waving, and he and Akari disappeared down the path.

Bo opened his mouth to protest again, but then thought better of it. Sighing and shaking his head, he turned back to his work. For such a simple person, Luke wasn't half complicated.

--

"Yeah, my mum was against me running a farm. Said I was going against my dream- she had a point, really. But it wasn't like I could be a vet after I'd failed the bar exam twice…" Akari mused and she and Luke ambled aimlessly along the length of the beach. "But I don't mind. I prefer living here than the city, so…" She frowned and looked back over her shoulder. Luke had stopped walking, and was looking back across the beach. "Ahem?" She coughed, offended.

"Oh? Ah! Ha ha… Sorry." Luke grinned sheepishly, turning back to Akari.

"What were you looking at?" Akari asked.

"Oh, just… Just our footprints in the sand… I was thinking." Luke shrugged it off. "It's nothing important."

Akari frowned. If it wasn't important, then why did he feel the need to tell her that? She had been willing to let it drop, but not any more. No, now she was curious, and she wanted answers. "What were you thinking?"

"N-Nothing! I wasn't thinking a-anything!" Luke insisted, fidgeting and looking away, nervous.

"You are the worst liar I've ever met," Akari stated bluntly. "You just told me you were thinking! So, come on… Tell me."

"It's kinda stupid…" Luke warned her. "But I was just thinking of out of all the different paths we could've walked down this beach, we chose the ones we did. I was thinking that no-one could ever walk the exact paths we walked, even after a hundred years. I was thinking how… How depending on with path you choose, you run into different things. I mean, you could choose a straight path because you think it's fastest, but then you could end up having to walk across those shells and pebbles that hurt your feet… And if you'd just taken the long way round you wouldn't have gotten hurt… But sometimes we have no choice but to walk across the pebbles, and sometimes you don't know when the pebbles are going to end, but they always do. It hurts you for a bit, but after a while it stops. It can leave scars sometimes, though…

"And then I started thinking of how many people must've walked down the beach before us. They must've, right? But can't see the path they took, all we can see is our own footprints, and the footprints of people who walked across it recently. It's like… It's like those people were never even here. We've got no way of knowing what path they chose to take. And people have to put a big rock, or a branch, or something big that wouldn't be washed away by the tide to let us know that they were there. And even then, the rock or branch gets worn away, and people don't notice it, and it'll still be like no-one was ever there. Like us walking right here are the only people ever to walk across this beach, though there must've been so many… It's kinda sad, don't ya think?"

Luke looked down at Akari. She was staring up at him with a strange look on her face- sort of a cross between surprise, confusion, amazement and a smile. Luke felt his cheeks get hot.

"Sorry. I said it was stupid." He said quickly, looking away to the side.

"No. No, it wasn't… It was… _profound." _Akari finally settled on the word.

"Oh." Luke murmured disappointedly.

"That's good, you idiot!" Akari cried, punching him playfully on his shoulder. "…Won't your dad be angry at you?"

"Probably. He usually is." Luke smiled.

"No, I _mean_ for skipping work!" Akari said, as if it was obvious.

"Nah. He says I work too hard anyway. I don't, though." Luke said. "…It's getting late. It's past six already…"

"Past six?" Akari piped up suddenly.

"Uh, yeah. Is there are problem- woah!" Luke was cut off as Akari quickly linked her arm in his and began dragging him away determinedly. "H-Hey! Where are we going?"

Akari smiled cheerfully at him. "You'll see."

--

"Akari, are you _sure _this is a good idea?" Luke asked warily, wrinkling his nose disdainfully at the dark liquid rippling in the glass on the counter before him.

"Oh, come on, Luke! It's just one little drink- it won't kill you!" Akari laughed. They had been in the bar little more than fifteen minutes, and she was already halfway through her second stone oil and showing no signs of stopping.

"You're sure?" Luke frowned, uncertain.

Akari rolled her eyes. "Of course! It's not like you've never drank before…" Her laughter died as a thought struck her. "…You've never drank before, have you?" She stated plainly.

"Not _this _sort of stuff." Luke muttered. "Will it make me go all weird like you?"

"_What?!_ Who are you calling weird!?" Akari cried angrily, shaking her stone oil at him and very nearly spilling it all over the floor.

"Sorry! I didn't mean- A-Are you ok?" His eyes widened as Akari threw her head back and gulped half a pint of stone oil down in less than ten seconds. Slamming the glass down with a satisfied gasp, she called over to Cathy, the barmaid.

"Another stone oil, please, Cathy!" She giggled tipsily. Cathy grinned back and obliged, sliding another mug of the stuff down the counter to her. Akari quickly began to devour the drink as if it was about to be snatched from under her nose at any second.

"A-Akari! Slow down!" Luke said, pulling her hands down so that the mug clanked back down on the counter.

"Oh, _shut up."_ Akari grumbled. "You don't have to… have to worry about me…"

Luke was taken aback at her sudden hostility. No doubt it was down to the stone oil. Now he _definitely _wasn't drinking anything.

"For goodness sake, drink _something, _you wuss," Akari said to Luke. She chugged down the rest of her drink and promptly ordered another. "Put it all on my tab, Cath."

"Akari, don't you think you've had enough? Stone oil is pretty strong stuff." Cathy warned.

"_I'll _decide when I've had enough!" Akari snapped. "Just 'cos… Just 'cos I'm not afraid to drink… Unlike Mr Alcohol Virgin over here!" She downed the next glass without taking it from her lips once. "Gimme another, would you…"

"Ok, Akari, I think you've _really _had enough now…" Kathy said firmly.

"Yer a liar…" Akari accused groggily. Then her head slammed down on the counter and faint, gurgling snores could be heard emitting from her parted lips.

"Oh my God what happened is she ok is she dead oh crap this is all my fault I should never have let her come here oh no oh God she's dead…" Luke zoned out into a hyper panic, pacing up and down the bar, holding his head in his hands. "This is all my fault I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm so sorry-"

"Luke!" Cathy shouted, silencing him. "Calm down! She's not _dead,_ she's just drank too much too fast, you halfwit! She'll be _fine_ in a few hours. Have a hell of a headache, of course, but still…" She sighed. "Take her home, would you? It'll be bad for business if other customers see her like this!"

"Take her h- right. Right, yeah, good, ok, fine, good, ok…" Luke trailed off into a series of incoherent mutters to himself as he slung Akari's limp arm around his neck and picked her up in his arms, bridal style. He carried her to the door and pushed it open with his back. Facing back to Cathy, he asked "Are you _sure _she'll be all right?"

"Yes! Look, just take her home, put her to bed. She'll be fit as a fiddle tomorrow!" Cathy insisted. She paused. "_Bye, _Luke."

"Huh? Oh! Right, yeah, take her home, yeah…" He murmured to himself, backing out of the door quickly.

Luckily, Akari's farm wasn't _too _far from Sundae Inn, and Akari herself was so small and light that Luke barely knew she was there. He didn't want to be carrying her for longer than he had to. He'd probably end up tripping and squashing her flat.

He looked down at the sleeping girl in his arms. She looked _different,_ somehow. Now that she was sleeping, she looked peaceful and content, the lines of stress gone from her brow. The sleeping Akari put forward an innocent, vulnerable side that the waking Akari would never allow to take the stage. All of a sudden she wasn't this tough-talking, invincible being. She was _human, _and could hurt and cry just like everybody else.

Akari sighed and squirmed in her slumber. Luke had to stop to adjust his hold on her. She sidled up closer to him, hiding her face in his chest and inhaling deeply. He could see her smiling unconsciously.

Luke swallowed and bit his lip. If she kept on distracting him like that then he was sure he would trip and fall. Akari was mumbling in her sleep. Her arm moved and she rested the palm of her hand against his chest, her forefinger stroking in a circular motion.

"A-Akari!" Luke whispered loudly, giving her a gentle shake, half expecting her to open her eyes and laugh 'Tricked you! I wasn't really asleep!' He wished she would do just that. It wasn't so much the unconscious Akari's actions that were distracting Luke, but rather his reactions to them. His heart was pounding so mercilessly that it was a wonder it didn't wake Akari up. There was fire in his cheeks and butterflies in his stomach, and his throat was as dry as Mars.

And he was panicking.

His body wasn't listening to his brain, and it was scaring him. The sooner he got Akari home, the better. He raised his head and took a deep breath, trying to let himself relax. And it worked- a little.

And then he tripped.

Time seemed to slow down as the ground drew nearer and nearer. Luke hurriedly flipped round in the air as he fell, so that he could break Akari's fall. After all, he was a lot bigger than she was. If _he _landed on _her, _she could be seriously injured.

The two of them fell to the ground with a dull thud, Luke holding Akari protectively against him, being sure to cover her head. Thankfully, Luke had been walking over a grassy part of town, and so neither of them was hurt.

"Sorry!" Luke spluttered. He propped himself up with his elbows, expecting Akari to explode with anger like Mount Vesuvius. But, amazingly, Akari had barely stirred, and was still sleeping as deep as ever. Luke breathed a sigh of relief.

Then he swallowed. Panic struck him again as he realised that Akari had landed directly on top of him. He placed a hand on her shoulder and gingerly shook her. Wait, why were his hands shaking like that?

Akari remained asleep, oblivious to Luke and everything around her. She stretched herself out and snuggled up to Luke, looking for warmth in the cold autumn breeze. Then she wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

Luke's breath caught in his throat.

"A-A-Ah! No, no, no!" He sputtered, frantically unhinging Akari's arms from around his waist and lifting her up and laying her down on the grass beside him. "Y-You-You sleep th-there, all right?!"

Akari curled up into a ball like a hedgehog, a smile on her face and a trace of soft laughter on her lips.

Luke sat up hurriedly. He clamped his hands over his chest- his heart was hammering so hard against his ribcage it was threatening to break out altogether. He tried to take deep breaths, but for some reason he couldn't seem to draw in any air. And he was getting light-headed.

"Come on… Get… a grip…" He told himself between gasps. Why couldn't he breathe? He knew what was wrong. It was probably because of the alcohol. Sure, he didn't actually _drink _any, but there was bound to be fumes in that bar, right? After all, it had reduced Akari to unconsciousness- this was probably just another side-effect.

When he was completely assured that the alcohol was the cause of the problem, Luke calmed down considerably. Leaning over, he shook Akari by her shoulder.

"Akari. Hey, Akari! Wake up." He said. Akari stirred and grumbled, and her eyes fluttered open.

"What… What is it?" She mumbled sleepily. Then she woke up properly. This… This wasn't her house! Where was she? She was… outside, judging from the cold. Oh God, had she been kidnapped? She was too young to die!

"Akari?" Luke's face drifted into view.

"Eeeeeek!"

"Gyaaaahhhh!!"

"Luke!?" Akari cut off her piercing shriek as she came to her senses at last. "Wh-What happened? Oh, ow, my head…" She rubbed her temples with the tips of her fingers.

"Well, you fell asleep in the bar and Cathy told me to take you home… B-But then I fell over. And I didn't want to do it again in case I squashed you, so I thought I'd better wake you up and-" Luke stopped. "…Akari?"

"Yeah?" Akari said absentmindedly, holding her throbbing head in her hands and groaning softly to herself.

"Promise you won't make me go anywhere near that bar ever again."

--

Luke took a deep breath and prepared himself for the worst as he hovered outside the door of his house. He could almost feel the dangerous aura radiating from the door as he raised his hand to open it. It was an aura which told him 'You're in serious trouble, young man."

He had his excuse all worked out in his head. Perhaps if he spun a very convincing yarn, then he would manage to wriggle his way off the hook. He mouthed the small speech out to himself one more time, and opened the door.

"And _where_ have _you _been?"

"Uh…"

--

**Sorry for making you all wait so long! I was planning to post this last night, but it just kept getting longer; and then my Dad told me 'Get off that computer right now, girl!'**

…**He sounds like Dai, doesn't he? (Sweat-drop)**


	10. The Dream

**Argh! I had a spelling mistake in the summary of this story! **_**Why didn't anyone tell me?!**_** Ah well, it's fixed now (can you believe I spelled feisty 'fiesty'? That's what I get for rushing…) and I can't blame you for my clumsiness!**

**On a more positive note, I have nearly sixty reviews for this fic, which I am very pleased with. To celebrate this occasion, I would like to dedicate this chapter to all the loyal readers of this story!**

**--**

Akari groaned, cradling her head in her hands as she dragged herself up the path towards her farm. Thankfully her vision had stopped blurring by now, and the crisp autumn air was clearing her head quite effectively.

Stumbling along, still half-asleep, Akari didn't notice there was another person on the path until she had crashed right into them.

"Sorry, I'm sorry…" Akari muttered, her attention still on her fuzzy brain.

"Th-That's ok. It was just a bit of a shock…" Said the passer-by shakily, steadying Akari as she teetered alarmingly backwards.

"Kotomi?" Akari frowned, blinking hard. "What are you doing out so late?"

The blue-haired woman blushed faintly, though it was hardly noticeable in the darkness. "Roomi went to the inn for a drink. I thought I'd better bring her her ID, b-because they won't serve her if she looks to young… e-even though they know she's over eighteen…"

"Ah. Tell her not to overdo it… I did." Akari said, half laughing. "I think I must've gotten drunk… And I'm a mean drunk! I hope I didn't do anything embarrassing…"

"I'm sure nothing will have happened…" Kotomi assured, a concerned look on her face. "…H-How's J-Juli?"

"Juli? Oh, he's fine…" Akari said. "Why?"

"Well… A-Aren't you two…? You're together so much, Roomi and I thought maybe… You were c-courting…" Kotomi finished on a whisper, her doubt in her own deduction obvious.

"Cour- No! Me and Juli…? No way, that's just ridiculous!" Akari laughed.

Kotomi lowered her head, embarrassed.

"B-But I can see why you would think that!" Akari added quickly. "We _have _been spending a lot of time together lately. But, Juli and me, we're just friends… You're not disappointed, are you?"

"No! No, of course not!" Kotomi said, perking up suddenly. "I-I don't know what I was thinking… Of course, you're just friends!"

"You seem… happy." Akari remarked.

Kotomi's face went pink again. "W-Well, I wouldn't say I was _really _happy. I just thought... I didn't think you suited each other that well. Oh! I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound rude…" Kotomi trailed off. She held her arms behind her back and looked away embarrassedly.

"Its fine, Kotomi." Akari said. "You know…" She leaned in closer to Kotomi, holding her hand up to her mouth exaggeratedly, as if she was about to let slip a great secret. She whispered: "I think he likes _someone else, _if you know what I mean!"

"Oh! R-Really…? W-Well, I'll see you later, Akari!" Kotomi giggled, very flustered now. Helping her regain her balance, she bid Akari a final farewell, before walking briskly away, a slight spring in her step.

Akari grinned to herself. Perhaps Juli's affections weren't quite as hopeless as he thought…

--

_It was a cold time of the year and the hot springs were always an escape from the bitter winter that was drawing nearer every day, being the one part of the town that remained naturally warm all year round. He had decided to go there that day, as it was his day off work. And it just so happened that _she _was there, too._

"…_Hi." She said simply, after a moment's pause._

"_Hi."_

_He sat down at the side of the spring opposite her. She smiled shyly, crossing one leg over the other, her towel riding uncomfortably high up her smooth thigh. She asked him to come just a _little _closer. And he did. And then they were so close that he could feel her breath tickling his face as he looked into her big brown eyes. Their fingers interlocked with each other's. She had such small hands. Small but strong, and almost as calloused as his own._

_He looked at her. She looked at him. And suddenly her lips were against his, passionate and hungry. His arms wounds around her, stroking through her hair; hers wrapped around his neck in a passion-filled embrace. And still their lips were together, none of them eager to stop for air. Her mouth opened slightly, and he could almost taste her warm breath. And then their tongues were touching. The top of her towel had fallen down a little too much, and she did not protest when his hands began to wander, and neither did he when hers did the same._

_They were burning up together in a sort of spontaneous combustion, living in a real, unreal world that neither one of them had ever known…_

_--_

Luke's eyes snapped open. His eyes darted left and right- it was dark, obviously still the middle of the night. He laid there in his bed for a while, waiting for his pulse to stop racing and his brain to process just what was going on. Slowly, he sat up, furiously willing himself to stay calm, because he was sure he was about to have a mental breakdown any second and scream the place down.

Why… why did he have a dream like _that?_ That wasn't… that wasn't right at all! Akari was his friend! His _friend!_ Why would he want to put his lips against hers… and touch her like that… How would he ever look her in the eye now?!

Luke felt the heat creeping slyly up his neck and settling on his cheeks. The whole situation was very embarrassing- and terribly confusing. Whydid he dream it in the first place? Why did it have to be so realistic? Why did he have his lips on hers? Why, in his dream, did he _enjoy _it?

…Why was his bed all wet?

--

"All right, what's wrong with _you?" _Dai asked the next morning as Luke crept unusually quietly into the kitchen for breakfast.

"Nothing, nothings wrong, why would anything be wrong?" Luke babbled quickly, immediately flustered. "I'm fine really, there's nothing wrong a-at all…"

Dai frowned and cast his eyes back down to his newspaper, embarrassed for his son. It was so obvious he was lying it almost hurt to listen to him. "I heard you wandering about during the night. What were you doing?" He asked. To his surprise, Luke's face immediately whooshed bright red.

"R-R-Really! N-Nothing! I-I wasn't- I mean I, er, uh, erm…" Luke went quiet for a second. "I'm _fine, _right?!" He eventually snapped. Another pause. "I _am!"_

"I didn't say you weren't." Dai stated plainly.

"Well, I was just making sure, okay?" Luke said. "_Okay?!"_

"Okay. I believe you." Dai said, in a way that made it obvious that he most certainly did _not _believe him. "_But,_ if you ever change you mind about that, I'll hear you out, just so you know."

Luke opened his mouth as if he were about to say something, then gulped down his juice faster than Dai could blink and marched out of the kitchen without a single word.

--

Dai looked out of the window of the workshop. He smiled and waved to the approaching customer, then turned back to his son. "Young Akari's on the way, Probably come to pick up her sickle." He told him.

Luke's eyes widened in horror. "_What?!"_ Slamming down his tools on the workbench, he dashed over to the door of the carpentry and hurriedly locked and bolted it. Then he ran to the window. Opening it, he called out to Akari: "Sorry, Akari! We're closed this morning! Come back this afternoon, okay?"

"What?!" Akari cried out in indignation, but, fortunately, did not approach the carpentry further, instead turning on her heel and stomping away back down the path.

"Luke!" Dai finally shouted, coming to his senses at last after the initial surprise of seeing his son carrying out this bizarre act. "What do you think you're playing at, boy?!" He marched over to the door and began to unlock it. "Hey, Akari, come back!"

"Dad!" Luke shouted, leaping on him and struggling desperately to stop him opening the door. "Shut up, shut up, shut up!"

"Excuse me, young man?!" Dai exclaimed, releasing his grip on the door handle in shock, appalled.

Luke clamped his hands over his mouth. "Sorry..." He whispered, shocked at his own insolence, expecting his father to quite literally blow a gasket. Instead, he just sighed.

"Luke," He said. "What's _wrong _with you today?"

Luke took a deep breath. "D-Dad? You know when I said nothing was the matter this morning…? Well… I lied. Sorry…"

Dai suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. As if that wasn't obvious from the start…

"C-Can I… _talk _to you about something?" Luke asked quietly, bowing his head.

"Yes…" Dai replied, a little suspiciously.

"Could we sit down, please?"

The two each sat down upon the stools that lined the workbench.

"Th-Thanks…" Luke said. He took a deep breath, and Dai could see him preparing himself. "Dad… Last night I… I had a weird dream… About Akari… and me."

"Go on…" Dai urged, nodding to himself.

"And… she wasn't… wearing anything." Luke finished the sentence on a cross between a squeak and a whisper. He hung his head in humiliation, his messy blue hair hanging down over his forehead, hiding his face.

"I… see…" Dai raised his eyebrows, but said nothing more.

"W-Well, she wasn't _naked _or anything!" Luke amended hurriedly. "A-Anyway… We talked a bit- that was okay, but then… she put her lips on mine. A-And we were holding each other and we… I, er… we…" He couldn't bring himself to finish his sentence, and was biting his lip so much it was now beginning to bleed.

"…Is that all?" Dai asked after a pause.

"Yes… No. When I woke I… mybedwaswet." Luke blurted it out in a rush, cringed, then slammed his forehead down on the workbench in sheer embarrassment. Dai could almost feel the heat radiating off him and see the steam coming out of his ears. "I think there's something wrong with me…"

Dai frowned, taking a deep breath and letting it out in a long sigh. How to handle the situation…? He didn't think it was something he would ever have to talk about, and was quite stupefied as to what he should say to reassure his son. The whole thing was a little surprising- and a little funny, too, though obviously not from poor Luke's point of view.

"…Luke," He settled on after a while's thought. "There is _nothing _wrong with you. This sort of thing is _completely normal _for… someone your age. You have to remember the dreams aren't real, even if the people in them are. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, but… why were me and Akari-"

"_Don't worry _about that. Just because you dreamed… something like that, it doesn't mean you want to do the same in real life. It's _just _a _dream."_ Dai said firmly.

"But… But…" Luke babbled incoherently. "How will I ever be able to look at her now?! This is the worst thing that's ever happened! You can't just expect things to go on normally after-"

"_Listen _to me, Luke," Dai interrupted harshly. "_Other _people have gone through _exactly _the same thing, and you know what they do? They don't let it bother them, and just carry on with their lives. Do you understand? I'm saying _forget _about it. You can't let a silly dream ruin your friendship with the girl. You can't keep on avoiding her forever."

"I can try…" Luke muttered defiantly though he knew his father was right, slouching even lower on his chair and crossing his arms and trying to scowl- though it just looked like he was pouting.

Dai was about to scold him for 'taking that bad attitude', but he found his face breaking into a smile. He chuckled. And before he knew it he was laughing, a loud, hearty laugh.

Poor Luke was mortified. "D-Don't laugh at me!"

"Oh, my son…" Dai chuckled, getting up off his chair and ruffling Luke's hair as if he were a little kid, causing his bandana to slide sideways. "My son…"

--

"Hey, are you open yet or what?!" Akari's huge voice echoed down the path from far away, shaking the ground and the carpentry itself.

Luke's eyes grew wild, his pupils shrinking in panic. He took one glance at the door through which Akari would soon be entering- and shot towards it like a bullet, frantically trying to lock it again.

"Oh no you don't," Dai said, grabbing him by the scruff of the neck and dragging him away from the door. "You can't keep avoiding her forever, remember?"

"Da-a-a-ad! _Please, _don't let her come in here! If you're worried about business or whatever, _I_ could leave! Come on, ple-e-e-ease!" Luke begged futilely.

"_Stay, _boy." Dai ordered, as if he was talking to a dog. "And for God's sake, act _normal!"_

"Normal, right, got it." Luke said. He took a deep breath, in through his nose and out through his mouth like his mother had taught him to do whenever he was nervous and needed to calm down. "Normal…"

"Good afternoon!"

"AAAGGGHHH!!"

Luke fell over onto his backside with an unceremonious 'oof!', and Dai covered his eyes with his hand. Akari just stood there, quite dumbfounded.

"Luke, a-are you okay? Did I surprise you?" Akari asked, starting to giggle. She went to help him up, but he jerked away from her and she backed off, hurt. "Anyway, I came to see if my sickle was fixed yet…"

"Oh, I think it's at the back… Luke, go and get it for her, would you? That's two-hundred-and-fifty gold, please, Miss." Dai said, turning back to Akari over the counter.

Akari laughed nervously. "You don't have to call me 'Miss', you know."

"Ah, but I do. You're only 'Akari' when I'm not working. As long as I'm behind this counter, you're my customer, and worthy of the utmost respect!" Dai said.

Akari smiled uncertainly, not sure whether he was joking or not. She slung her backpack over her shoulder and, after rummaging through it, handed over the owed money.

"Thanks a lot, Miss." Dai said, taking the two-hundred-and-fifty and putting it in the till. "Luke! You found that sickle yet?"

"Uh, yeah, I found it…"

"Well, _bring it here, _then!"

Luke shuffled back into the main part of the shop. He quickly placed the sickle on the counter. "Here." He said quietly, and immediately turned his back on Akari and Dai.

"Wait- Luke…" Akari began, beginning to get upset. He was giving her the brush-off, and she didn't like it in the slightest. "Are you angry with me…?"

"No." Luke said, without turning back to face her.

"Well, why are you- _Look _at me when I'm talking to you!" Akari snapped crossly. She placed a hand on his shoulder, and he immediately spun around to face her, shrugging it off. Akari put her hands on her hips. "What is it? What's wrong?" She demanded.

Luke paled as he looked directly at her. She was exactly the same as in his dream. Same brown eyes, slightly widened. Her hair was even positioned in the same place. Heck, she even smelled the same- the outdoor air, along with the same watermelon shampoo she always used. There was no doubt about it; this woman was the same as the girl in his dream. The girl he had held, touched.

And his face turned beetroot red all over again.

"It's fine! Really, everything's fine! Nothing weird going on here, no siree! Ha ha ha…" Luke scratched the back of his neck, and then attempted to make a run for it when he thought Akari's guard was lowered.

"Luke!" Dai bellowed. "Get back here now or-"

"No, its… its okay." Akari interrupted quietly. "…I'll just be on my way, then. Thanks for the sickle, by the way…" She added as she picked up her tool and wandered a little sadly out of the carpentry.

"Luke," Dai called out warningly as soon as she was gone.

"I know, I _know." _Luke wailed, emerging form the back of the shop with his head in his hands. "I'm _sorry!"_

--

**Poor Luke. He just isn't having a good time recently, huh?**

**Reviews appreciated, and ideas for later chapters encouraged! Come on, I'm giving you a chance to work your own ideas into this! What do you want to read?**


	11. Happy Families?

**This chapter is dedicated to B4k4 Ch4n, as every chapter she provides me with a useful review, giving up her time to tell me what she liked and disliked about the chapter. Thanks, B4k4!**

**--**

Akari was pacing furiously up and down the shop of Souffle Farm, muttering madly to herself, while Anise simply looked on in a mixture of confusion and pity.

"Are you _sure _it's that bad?" She asked her friend gingerly, not wanting to accidentally tip the already unstable Akari over the edge.

"_Yes_ I'm _sure!"_ Akari snapped angrily. "You don't understand! He was completely out of it- he was _ignoring _me! I must've done something really bad…"

"'Really bad'? Why do you think that, Akari?"

"_Because!_" Akari sighed resignedly, leaning on the counter. "I got a bit drunk the other night, and… well, I thought I fell asleep, but what if I didn't? What if I said something really terrible to him? I mean… I… I'm not that nice to Luke. And he doesn't mind, y'know? He never says anything bad about me, no matter how mean I am… So I must've been utterly _horrible _for him to be brushing me off like this!"

"Well, if that's how you feel… then maybe you should talk to him about it." Anise advised.

"I can't do that!" Akari wailed.

"And why not?"

"Because what if I find out that I did something awful?" Akari answered.

"Ah, I see…" Anise began to smile, already seeing how she could work the situation to her advantage. "So you don't want the truth. You're scared of what you might discover. You're _frightened, _is that it?"

Akari puffed her cheeks out in indignation. "That's not it at all!" She snapped.

"Oh really? Well then, why don't you prove it? If you really have nothing to fear…" Anise teased, leaning her elbow on the counter. "…You'll go and talk to him."

Akari paused. Then she turned on her heel and began to march towards the door. "Fine then! I will!" She declared proudly, as if she'd gotten one over on Anise, when in actual fact it was the other way around.

Anise just smiled.

--

Bagel Carpentry was unusually quiet. Luke, having finished most of his day's work, was rocking idly back and forth on an old chair by the workbench, taking mild amusement in the small creaks the chair let out. Dai was standing at the counter, counting yesterday's money for the fifth time. Neither liked the awkward silence that filled the room, but neither was willing to break it.

Needless to say, Dai had not been at all happy with the way Luke had blown Akari out the day before. Dai had scolded Luke for hurting her feelings, Luke had apologised, Dai had said there was little point in apologising to _him, _Luke had apologised, Dai had attempted to talk over the dream again, Luke got self-conscious, Luke got angry, Dai got angry, and the conversation had ended on rather bad terms.

Luke didn't want to be the one to cut the silence. He was sick of being the one who always felt bad- and that was making him feel even worse, and angry because of it. His dad was trying so hard to reassure Luke that his dream was completely normal, and yet he was even close to understanding how much it had shaken him. Dai was acting like he hurt Akari on _purpose_. Luke wanted to shout at him, tell him just to shut up and acting like anything and everything he did was _wrong._

Luke knew he would never say that. But he wanted to, all the same.

He knew his father was disappointed in him. Sometimes Luke would catch him looking at him in that way, and it was like… It was like he didn't want him. Like he would be better off without him.

It hadn't always been like that. No, before Luke's mother had passed away, Luke and Dai had been like any other father and son. He supposed his mom had been the one keeping them together. When she had died, that was when things began to fall apart.

Luke had always looked up to his dad. Dai was everything he ached to be, but knew that he never would- smart, serious, always knowing just what to do. When his mom died- that was the first time he had ever seen his father cry. Luke didn't cry. Not once. He wanted to be brave for his dad, but… After that Dai changed. They fought all the time. And every accusation Dai threw at him knocked his confidence just that little bit more. The Dai would get upset and hug him and apologise. Sometimes he would cry, and Luke knew it was all his fault.

Somehow, they managed to get back on their feet. Somehow, they managed. Luke had convinced Dai to let him help out with the around the carpentry, and they both worked. The worked so hard, for hours at a time, until they were too tired to grieve any more. And it had been like that ever since.

--

Dai looked over at Luke sadly. He sighed. Sometimes he got the feeling that he was never quite fair to his son, and the regular attacks of guilt after every conversation always assured him of that. He would often vow to himself to make more of an effort to understand Luke rather than scolding him all the time, but it never worked out. Dai figured he was too old to change now.

It had been like that ever since his wife had died. When she passed on, Dai too felt as if his life was over. Perhaps he would have given up altogether if it had not been for Luke. When the days got too hard to handle, he would look at his son and know he had something worth living for.

It had been hard for them both when his wife had died. Dai simply couldn't stop the tears, but Luke- Luke never cried once. Dai had thought- oh, it seemed so stupid now- that Luke didn't_ care _that she was dead. He had shouted at him. He did cry then.

Looking back, perhaps Dai _did _shelter Luke a bit too much. His wife had been such an independent woman- she had believed in giving Luke freedom, even at his young age. She believed 'everyone has the right to let their imagination run away with itself'. Luke had been raised to believe that. But when she died, Dai became paranoid. Luke was all he had left; he didn't want to lose him too. He tried to keep him safe at home all the time- which meant no more fishing, no more climbing trees, no more splashing in puddles, nothing that could be considered 'dangerous' in any way. Luke didn't like it. He would throw a tantrum and then Dai would get angry and shout. Then Luke would cry, and Dai, realising it was his fault, would cry too. Then Luke would apologise through his tears and behave immaculately for the next few days. And then the whole sequence would begin all over again.

But what Dai thought were safety precautions changed Luke. Every time something bad happened, even if it wasn't his fault, even if he wasn't even _there _at the time, he would apologise. Dai realised that he had scolded him so much he had began to blame himself for everything.

Dai worried about his son a lot. He would often catch himself frowning at him, wondering if he was really _happy_ having him as a father. He wouldn't blame his son if he wasn't.

--

Luke sighed, giving in. "Dad-"

"Hey, Luke!" A voice interrupted him. A loud, harsh, female voice.

Luke's blood turned to ice and his stomach tied itself in a double knot. Oh no, what was _she _doing here? He hit his forehead with the palm of his hand, furiously willing his brain to erase all memory of 'that' dream.

"Hi!" Akari's faced popped into view from around the door, and immediately the events of his dream the night before all came flooding back with a vengeance.

"…"

"Listen, I thought about what happened yesterday, and I've decided I have to know…" Akari began a little nervously, her head bowed and her hands held humbly behind her back. "Did I... say or do anything that upset you the other night? You know, when I was… I mean, after I had drunk a bit too much?"

"…"

"If I said anything rude or nasty, I'm sorry, ok?" Akari assured. Then she blushed lightly. "And if I did anything… stupid, then I'm sorry about that too. If I did, I'm sure it… it didn't mean anything. You don't have to worry about it!"

"…"

"Damn it, Luke, say _something!" _Akari eventually snapped. Apologies were most definitely not her thing. She had been trying her best to be sincere, but Luke just had to make _everything _so damn _difficult!_ "Moron!" Her words had a sharp bite to them, and Luke visibly flinched, causing a tidal wave of guilt to crash mercilessly over her.

"Sorry," She said sadly- and truthfully. She shuffled timidly over to Luke. "Luke, I'm sorry…" She gingerly laid a hand on his shoulder. "Could you _talk, _please?"

Luke looked towards her slightly, though his eyes were closed tight. He took a deep breath. And- "NOI'MSORRYITSNOTYOURFAULTITSMYFAULTI'MSORRYIJUSTHADTHISWEIRDDREAMANDITTOTALLYFREAKEDMEOUTSOIDIDN'TWANTTOTALKTOYOUANDNOWYOUTHINKYOUDIDSOMETHINGWRONGWHENYOUDIDN'TANDI'MSORRYI'MSORRYI'MSOSOSORRY!" Then he gasped for air, his lungs empty from the incoherent speech.

Dai was staring on, wide-eyed, and Akari was quite baffled. "Um… Could you repeat that?"

"…Please don't make me say it again." Luke begged, his eyes still shut, as if looking at her would cause him to go blind.

Dai sighed. Perhaps it was time for a little reasonable thinking. "I think, Akari, my son is _trying _to say that you have done absolutely nothing wrong, and that he was only acting a bit strangely yesterday because he thought he was catching the flu and he didn't want to give it to you. Am I _right, _Luke?" He said firmly, giving Luke a warning look when Akari turned her back on him.

_PLEASE don't mess this up…_

Luke himself was stood in wide-eyed awe, his jaw hanging open like a goldfish. Luckily he found his voice in just enough time so that Akari didn't become suspicious. "Uh… Yeah! Yeah, that's right!" He decided to leave it at that, knowing that he was such a bad liar that he would probably end up blurting out everything to her if he dared to continue.

"All… right…" Akari said, one eye narrowed in suspicion. Luke didn't sound like he was being entirely truthful with her, but surely _Dai _wouldn't lie about it? She'd have to confront Luke later, when they were alone.

"I'll just be going now, then…" She said before wandering confusedly out of the door. She would definitely be back! She had decided that there was no _way _she was going to buy that lame excuse! Even if it was the truth.

The door closed behind her.

Luke turned to his dad. "Thank you so much." He said quietly, his throat still dry in shock.

Dai sighed and rolled his eyes. "Hmph." He grumbled. "Next time I won't bail you out. That girl's going to be back, I can tell. And she's going to want answers."

"Still… Thanks." Luke began to smile.

Dai muttered grouchily to himself, as if Luke's thanks were simply annoying him, but then he looked up and smiled back. And the argument was forgotten.

--

**Here's the translation for Luke's jargon: NO, I'M SORRY ITS NOT YOUR FAULT ITS MY FAULT I'M SORRY I JUST HAD THIS WEIRD DREAM AND IT TOTALLY FREAKED ME OUT SO I DIDN'T WANT TO TALK TO YOU AND NOW YOU THINK YOU DID SOMETHING WRONG WHEN YOU DIDN'T AND I'M SORRY I'M SORRY I'M SO SO SORRY!**

**Did you get all that?**

**I just wanted to flesh out Dai and Luke's relationship as father and son in this chapter. Did I do ok? Please let me know what you think!**


	12. Good News, Everyone!

**Another chapter! I forgot to say before that I'm kind of getting to like the pairing Anise/Akari too! Fiery little Akari always trying to get the upper hand and Anise just breezing by effortlessly- damn you, The Village Square forum! You've turned me into an insane pairing maniac!**

**Remember- Tao is Toby and Leena is Renee!**

**--**

"I'm telling you, Anise! It's madness!" Akari fumed the next day to her friend. "I mean, he can't honestly expect me to _believe _that rubbish! I did something horrible, I just know it!"

Anise raised her eyebrows. "I don't see the problem. Shouldn't you be glad? He told you nothing happened." She said.

"No,_ Dai _told me! Luke can't lie to save his life! I don't think Dai would lie to me either, but… I got the feeling that he was covering for him, y'know?" Akari sighed and hitched herself up so that she was sitting on the counter. "I'm going back eventually! Don't think I won't!"

"Of course, Akari." Anise sighed under her breath. "Of course…" Her ears pricked up like a rabbit as she heard the quiet tinkle of the doorbell, which indicated that someone had entered the shop. Both Anise and Akari looked up to see Leena standing in the doorway, fidgeting with nervous energy.

"Hello, Leena. Do you need anything?" Anise asked politely. She frowned at the silly smile on Leena's face. "What is it?"

"Well…" Leena skipped into the shop fully and over to Anise and Akari, beckoning them closer with her forefinger. "You're never going to believe this, but…" She began in a whisper. "Tao has…" She began to giggle- "Asked me to _marry _him!"

She relished in the surprised looks on Akari and Anise's faces. "And I said _yes!"_

Anise was the first to recover the initial shock. "Oh Leena! Congratulations! Quickly, quickly, tell me, when's the wedding?"

"Well, we were thinking in about a week or so…" Leena said. "I know it seems like we're rushing into things, but I love him! I really do!" She cried, and then she blushed.

"Akari!" Anise whispered, nudging Akari, trying to urge her into saying something.

"What? Oh! Con-Congratulations! This is… This is wonderful!" Akari said breathlessly. She hopped off the counter and took Leena's hands in hers, leading her out of the shop.

"Where are we going?" Leena asked nervously.

"Chiffon Tailoring, of course! It's only a week, and there's so much to plan!" Akari cried enthusiastically. "Right, first we've got to get your wedding dress sorted- that top priority, obviously… Then we have to book the venue and write the invitations and organise the food buffet and arrange for a rehearsal of vows…" Akari blabbered on to herself happily, and, even more excited than Leena by now, dragged the bride-to-be out of the shop.

Anise tutted to herself amusedly. Since when did Akari turn into such a _girl?_

_--_

It was almost lunch time. Thankfully Akari had not yet set foot in Bagel Carpentry, and Luke had spent all morning working out and memorising exactly what he was going to say to her when she inevitably crashed into the shop like a raging rhinoceros, demanding an explanation.

"Just because you dreamed about kissing her, it doesn't mean you actually _want _to kiss her." Dai had said for the fiftieth time. This particular line of 'assurance' ha sent Luke flying into a scarlet-faced rage, insisting that he didn't dream about _kissing _her, just putting his lips against hers.

"You fell asleep and then… I carried you home, and, uh… the alcohol fumes… and I…" Luke sighed, his memory defeating him. "I dreamed that I touched your breasts!" He snapped at himself in frustration, tugging at his hair angrily.

"I don't think _that'll _go down well." Dai remarked from the counter.

"I know! It's _difficult, _okay?!" Luke shot back. "I just… I don't know what to say."

Dai shrugged. "Don't ask me. How should _I _know what to do?"

"I thought you said it was _normal!"_ Luke cried.

"And it is." Dai answered plainly. "For someone your age."

"But! But! _You _were my age once! C'mon, Dad, please, just tell me what I should say to her." Luke said. "I'm clueless…"

"Just stay calm." Dai advised.

"…All right, then…" Luke muttered. Easier said than done- at that very moment Akari rushed past the shop window and down the path, dragging a protesting Leena behind her ("Akari!" –Puff- "Stop!" –Cough- "I can't…" –wheeze- "Run…" –puff- "in this dress!"). Luke quickly ducked down out of sight behind the workbench.

"You can't hide forever." Dai told him.

"Yes, I can!"

The door hinges creaked, and footsteps could be heard jogging briskly into the carpentry.

_Oh crap!_

Moments later, Tao's white-blue head drifted into view from above the workbench, tilted upside-down as he peered underneath. "Hi Luke," he said. "What are you doing under there?"

"Oh thank God it's you!" Luke sighed with relief, scrambling out from under the workbench as Dai shook his head and grumbled in the background.

"I thought you were…" Luke frowned. Was he still dreaming? The usually lazy, so-laid-back-he-was-horizontal Tao was currently pacing around the carpentry like a man possessed. For some reason he simply couldn't seem to stand still. "What's up?" Luke asked.

"Guess what?" Tao quizzed so fiercely that Luke was a little afraid.

"Uh… You just defeated you arch-nemesis in a raging battle in the fiery pits of Hell!" Luke announced, getting caught up in the story and completely forgetting about Tao's big news.

"Um, no." Tao said. "The thing is… Leena and I are getting married!"

"You're…"Luke paused a moment to take it in. "You're _what?!"_

"I'm getting married to her," Tao said, his wide grin threatening to split his face.

"Congratulations, m'boy!" Dai called from the counter. "The ceremony is…?"

"In a week or two, I guess." Tao shrugged. "But hey, who cares? Love lasts forever right?" He grinned at Luke. "Hey, Luke..." He said. "While we're on the subject, how long before you ask Akari?"

"Uh? Ask her what?" Luke said, tilting his head to on side, utterly clueless.

"You _know…_" Tao said, lowering his voice mischievously. "Ask her to _marry _you."

If Luke had been drinking, he would most definitely have sprayed it all over the place in a fit of coughs and splutters.

"_Ma-Marry _her?! _Why would I ask her that?!_" He shouted. Dai blocked his ears. He could feel a migraine coming on- his son had been doing an awful lot of shouting lately. It wasn't that he was particularly _angry; _it was just a cover-up for his confusion and embarrassment. For a long time Dai had watched his son, watched as his friends grew up around him, leaving him bewildered and worried. Every time another one left the nest, Dai told himself that Luke would be next. He never was. It stayed like that for a while- and now it was finally happening, and it was scaring Luke. A lot. The other boys had had _years_ to work out their problems- those being, _girls, _and their changing attitudes towards them. It was happening to Luke all at once, in such a short space of time. His heart was growing up before his head, and Dai wasn't sure if he'd be able to handle it.

"Hey, hey _relax!_" Tao laughed nervously as Luke practically paced around in circles, panicking. "But seriously, you'd better ask her soon. You don't want to lose her."

"_Lose_ her?" Luke mind suddenly turned to Juli. The thought of that man and Akari _together _just didn't seem _right. _He didn't like it. At all. He wouldn't lose Akari to Juli- but _marry _her? That was crazy. Luke was beginning to think _he _was crazy. Six months ago, had someone mentioned him marrying Akari he would have either simply brushed it off or laughed in their faces. Now- _now- _his heart was pounding and he could hear the blood roaring in his ears and his face was uncomfortably hot. What had _changed _to make him feel that way?

"She won't wait forever, you know." Said Tao wisely. "So you'd better tell her soon or someone else might beat you to it."

"Wh-What are you talking a-about?"

Tao just smiled sympathetically. "Nothing, Luke," he sighed exasperatedly. "Nothing at all."

Luke glared at Tao with indignant eyes. He wasn't going to _lose _Akari! Well, it wasn't as if he owned her or anything, but he wasn't going to let someone else break up their… their… their friendship. Their friendship! Why had he been so lost as to what could be broken between them just then?! This was so confusing! It was starting to get stupid. Tao didn't know what he was talking about- 'lose her'? That wasn't going to happen, and if talking to Akari would make sure of that, then he'd do it.

--

"Oh, this one's nice too…" Akari mused, her voice muffled as the whole top half of her body was submerged in Chiffon Tailoring's huge chest of sample materials, her feet barely touching the floor as she stretched to try to get a look at the cloth that was buried deep at the bottom.

"What is it?" Leena called from atop a small stool, where she stood awkwardly with her arms held out from her body as Roomi took her measurements.

"I'm not sure. It's a nice colour though." Akari called back. She turned to Kotomi, who was sat with a piece of paper, scribbling down the jargon Roomi was calling out to her (presumably Leena's requirements for her wedding dress). "What's this, Kotomi?"

"It's a piece of cloth." Kotomi said absentmindedly, still focusing on her sisters shouts.

"Ha bloody ha, 'Tomi." Akari snorted. "I _meant _what _type _of cloth is it?"

"Oh, erm, it's satin." Kotomi said, coming to her senses. "That would be quite nice, actually. We could have some lace trim… French would look good… And we could have a bow at the back… Look." She began to sketch a rough idea of her design. Holding it up for Leena to see, she asked "How does this look?"

Leena smiled in approval and nodded. "Though I'd quite like to have sleeves on it. Nothing to fancy, just something to make sure it doesn't fall down!"

"Right…" Kotomi quickly sketched on two over-the-shoulder sleeves. "What material would you like?"

"Oh, I'll have… Whatever's best for you. What was that one Akari had earlier?"

"Satin?"

"Yes, that's the one." Leena confirmed. "Thank you so much, Kotomi, Roomi. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Naturally!" Roomi laughed bouncily, wrapping a tape measure around Leena's waist. "Of course we'll need a lot more satin. I'll have to order it, probably…"

"I'll pay for it." Leena offered.

Roomi opened her mouth to say something, but before she could Komoti had said "Oh, n-no! It's really no problem at all, r-right Roomi?" and Roomi had to grit her teeth and agree.

After about twenty minutes, Leena's measurements were all finalised. ("Height: five foot seven inches; waist: thirty inches, chest: thirty two inches, plus the extra material for the sleeves, bow and trim… She's going to put us on the streets- all that satin!" "I-It's not _that _much, Roomi…") Roomi was searching through the chest for any spare lace, and Kotomi was poring over an order book. Akari skipped innocently over to Leena.

"You're going to have some wedding, huh?" She said, making her voice sound purposely wistful. "I wish I could be there…"

"Of course you're invited, Akari!" Leena said.

"Oh, yes, but…" Akari sighed sadly- a manipulating action, but effective nonetheless. "I was just wondering who you were going to ask…"

"Ask what?" Leena said, narrowing one eye in bewilderment.

"Oh, nothing…" Akari smiled, making sure it did not reach her eyes and that Leena noticed it. That worked. Leena began to smile as she clicked.

"Akari, would you like to be my bridesmaid?"

Akari's face lit up. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe, if I find the time." She smiled deviously before bursting out laughing. And, after a moment, Leena joined her.

--

Akari swallowed, hesitating at the door of Bagel Carpentry. She wanted to know what was going on with Luke- she really did- but she was afraid. There! She admitted it! She was afraid. Afraid that the truth might be something unwelcome to her ears. She didn't want to find out that she had said or done something terrible- but she could carry on pretending. She couldn't block it out forever, and any idiot could see Luke wasn't going to be the one to talk about it, so she had no choice. She had to confront him- alone.

Akari took a deep breath and raised her hand to the door handle- when the door flew open and, in a blur of blue, she was knocked to the floor. She sat there, disorientated, trying to figure out what had just happened.

"Oh! I'm sorry, Akari." A voice said. She looked up to see a hand being held out to her, and Tao's face smiling apologetically. "I was in a bit of a rush." He explained.

Ignoring the hand offered out to her, Akari picked herself up and brushed down her clothes. "That's all right, Tao." She said primly. "I hear you're getting married?"

"To Leena, yeah." Tao grinned.

"She's just asked me to be her bridesmaid."

Tao snorted and clamped a hand over his mouth. If Akari didn't know any better she'd say he was _laughing._

"What is so _funny?"_ She asked belligerently, hands on hips.

"Nothing, really. I just can't imagine you in a dress, Akari." Tao explained. "Though I'm sure you'll be full of surprises, as always."

Akari scowled. What was that supposed to mean? "Excuse me. I have something I need to discuss with the carpenter." Annoyance always did that to her- turned her into a highly-spoken snob. Honestly! Leena could do much better than that lazy slob!

"Luke!" She announced as she marched into the workshop.

"I need to talk to you." The sentence came out of both Akari's and Luke's mouth in unison. The two looked at each other unsurely, amused at the coincidence.

"What I meant to say-" Was also spoken simultaneously. And so was "No, you first-" And after "Are you-?" Luke decided enough was enough. He clamped his hands over Akari's mouth.

"Listen, I'm really sorry about yesterday. You really did just fall asleep at the bar, and I was acting weird 'cause the alcohol got to my head and gave me hallucinations or something." Luke blurted out as calmly as he could.

Akari prised Luke's hands away from her mouth with a gasp- what a rude way to get someone to be quiet! "Wh-What?"

"I was freaked out because of the stone oil."

Akari's frown faded as realisation dawned on her. "You mean I… I wasn't nasty to you or anything? I didn't do anything stupid?"

Luke shook his head. "S-So… What did you want to say?"

"Um…" Akari floundered for a moment, still in a state of surprise. She couldn't be angry and accuse him of lying to her after that. He wasn't lying. He just wasn't telling her the whole truth- she knew that. But she also knew that this was about all she was going to be able to drag out of him without damaging their relationship. At least she knew she didn't do anything wrong- that was good enough for her. "Are you… Going to Tao and Leena's wedding?" It was a poor question, giving the fact that she had just seen Tao leaving the carpenter's, but it was the best she could do at such short notice.

"Uh… Y-Yeah, I-I guess so…" Luke stammered uncertainly. She wasn't going to push the matter? She actually _believed _him? _She wasn't going to kick his head off?!_

"Of course I believe you! And why would I want to kick your head off?" Akari asked, smirking and folding her arms. It took Luke a second to comprehend, then he realised- he had said that out loud. Way to go Luke; open mouth, insert foot.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean-"

"Yes, you did. That's what makes it funny." Akari said, beginning to laugh.

Luke smiled nervously- the conversation had gone well. Maybe _too _well. It was unexpected, but Akari seemed to have taken in his explanation. He felt- relieved, if still a little weighed down by his conscience. He hadn't told her the entire story, after all. But at least it got the worry of upsetting her off his chest. His smile broke into a grin, and eventually into laughter.

Everything was normal again. Almost.

--

**Ahh, I'm ever so sorry! I haven't updated in ages, I know. I had **_**major **_**writers block on this chapter- this is all your fault! If only you'd tell me what you'd like to reeeead… Just kidding.**

**Reviews?**


	13. The Wedding

**I'm sorry, everyone. I've had a lot of stuff to do lately, what with exams and work experience and a few family issues. I know I haven't had much time to update this story, and it's been killing me. 'Differences' has made me realise that all I want to do is write.**

**So, without further ado, here's the next chapter!**

**--**

"You may now kiss the bride."

Akari grinned to herself as she caught Anise conspicuously wiping a tear from her eye as Tao and Leena's lips met, sealing their promise of eternal love for each other. She and Anise followed them down the aisle, as their duty as bridesmaids compelled them to do, though Anise's eyes were a little redder than usual, and Akari was limping from the sprained ankle she had given herself when learning to walk in high heels.

Outside the church, the townsfolk gathered to bid the newlyweds love, luck and prosperity for the future. Even in his smart suit, Tao still managed to look his usual laid-back self, a calm yet happy smile gracing his face. Leena was truly the star of the show- Kotomi didn't just weave cloth with that sewing machine of hers, she wove _magic._ Leena's wedding dress was truly a sight to behold- the formal satin and the light-as-air silk complimented each other perfectly, flowing to the ground like a glorious white river. The neckline was immaculately embroidered with lace, held in place by white thread that Kotomi had painstakingly stitched, pouring her love into her creation. And it was all topped off by a white silk bow pinned- not tied- into Leena's short brown hair, a delicate lace veil sweeping down to the nape of her neck.

Akari and Anise each wore matching bridesmaid's dresses, modelled after Leena's splendid gown. They were, like Leena's dress, made of satin and silk and were embroidered around the neckline; though they were much shorter in length, ending just above the knee. They each wore silk bows in their hair and one inch heeled shoes (that Akari has exceptional difficulty walking in). Though bridesmaids are traditionally supposed to dress identically, their dresses differed in that the top of Akari's was held up by two strappy sleeves. Kotomi had assured her that a sleeveless dress would not fall down to reveal anything, but Akari simply wasn't having any of it. She had also begrudgingly binned her white tights after they became laddered beyond repair during rehearsal. She was a little self-conscious about having her skinny legs on show to everyone, but she wasn't going to let it show.

After the wedding, the townsfolk gathered at the town square for the reception. Roomi was in charge of the music selection, and whilst she chose a slow, mushy song for the bride and groom to dance to, Anise and Akari stood side by side for a good chat.

"So, I've decided to let it drop." Akari concluded her tale of her troubles with a certain young carpenter. Anise could scarcely believe her ears.

"Who are you and what have you done with the real Akari?" She laughed. "I never thought I'd see the day you'd give up on something."

"I'm not _giving up._ I'm doing the right thing." Akari corrected. "You know Luke can't fool anyone for the life of him. I know he wasn't lying. He just... wasn't telling the whole truth. And, really, I'm fine with that. I don't want to push him into talking about things that could damage our...relationship. I don't want him to feel uncomfortable around me, you know?"

Anise raised her eyebrows and smiled. "You must really love him," She remarked, "For you to swallow your pride for him like that."

Akari went pink and scowled at Anise. "That's just silly." She snorted. "I'm just a good woman committing a good deed!"

"Of course, Akari," Anise sighed. "Whatever you say..."

--

Luke shuffled his feet nervously as he watched as one by one, the other townsfolk got up from their seats, having finished eating, and gathering at the centre of the town square to dance and chat. In all honesty, he felt pretty stupid. His father had forced him and Bo to get some 'proper clothes' for the wedding, and they were far from what he was accustomed to. He'd appealed to his father to let him wear his everyday clothes, but Dai wouldn't budge. Already Luke had managed to ruin them, as he knew he would- the trousers were scuffed around the hem, and had a rip in the knee from when he had tripped over outside the church

He felt the hair on the back of his neck bristle as he spotted Juli sauntering over to the girls' table- if he tried anything on Akari... But, to his surprise, it seemed to be _Kotomi _who had attracted his attention. Kotomi herself was blushing- but smiling and giggling in a way most alien to her. Then Juli took her by the hand and let her into the middle of the square, where other townsfolk were dancing together, and, from what Luke could tell, began to explain the dance routine.

Luke frowned, wondering why it wasn't Akari who Juli had asked to dance. Not that he was complaining, mind you. In fact, he felt strangely relieved. He looked back to Akari, smiling to himself as he noticed that he wasn't the only one uncomfortable wearing such formal clothes. His smile faded, though, as his brain began to process something else.

This was the first time he'd seen Akari in a dress. Usually it was age-old T-shirts, scruffy work trousers and big hiking boots for her. Now, for some reason, she seemed so much smaller. Compared to the other girls, she was at least a foot shorter. And far thinner- her bare shoulders and elbows looked sharp and brittle, and her twig-like arms made her hands look too big for her. It was hard to believe that this tiny creature was strong, feisty Akari. She looked pretty, there was no doubt about that, but she didn't look like _herself. _After mulling it over for a while, he decided that Akari definitely looked better when she _wasn't _making an effort.

He grinned as her formal mask was weakened as she accidentally spilled her cauliflower-and-mushroom soup all down her front, causing an unsightly greenish-yellow stain. She looked better like that, he thought. She looked more like Akari.

"So..." Bo slung his arm around Luke, using him as a support. From the way he was laughing stupidly, Luke suspected he had been drinking. "...Are you going to ask her?"

"Ask who what?" Luke asked, ducking out from underneath Bo's arm, causing Bo to almost topple over.

"Ask Akari to dance with you, stupid!" Okay, Bo was definitely drunk. He would never call anyone 'stupid' or any other insulting name had he been sober.

Luke folded his arms defiantly. "No." He said plainly.

"Oh..." Bo looked a little disappointed in him. "Well... I guess I'll ask... ask her then..." he slurred. He moved shakily to walk away, when Luke grabbed him by the scruff on the neck and dragged him back.

"Ow! Luke!" Bo cried out in protest, laughing helplessly. "What's up with you?"

"You're drunk." Luke stated disgustedly, glaring at Bo.

"Yeah, and you're... You're _jealous..."_ Bo said with relish. "You're _jealous_ because... you haven't got the guts to ask her... and I have..."

"That's stupid." Luke muttered, releasing Bo from his grasp.

Bo rubbed his neck, still laughing. "You were jealous before too... Because... Because Akari was spending all her time with Juli... And... And you thought they were kissing and stuff... _You _want to kiss her..."

Luke's face began to burn. "I do _not_! Just... Just shut up, Bo!" He snapped, turning his back on him.

"Aha... ha... ha... that's just because you know I'm right..." Bo continued. "If you don't want to kiss her... Then why won't you let me dance with her?" He burst out laughing at the blank look on Luke's face.

"Th-That's... That doesn't have anything to do with anything!" Luke spluttered. "You don't know what you're talking about. You're drunk."

"And I'm going to ask Akari to dance with me if you don't ask her." Bo teased. "I'll give you five seconds to make up your mind..." He paused. Luke 'hmph'-ed and raised his head high in the air. Bo shrugged. "All right then... I'll be going... Look, here I go... Going to ask Akari to dance with me... Who knows, maybe she'll fall in love with me... Maybe-"

"All right, okay, I'm going. I'm going!" Luke shouted angrily, pushing past Bo. "Th-This is just because I don't want you making a fool of yourself, got it?!" He added, before quickly walking away.

Bo chuckled to himself and leaned casually against the food table. "Of course, Luke..."He muttered to himself amusedly. "Whatever you say..."

--

"So then _I _said-" Roomi suddenly cut off her oh-so-very _interesting _tale as she saw Luke stumbling haplessly towards their table. "Uh-oh. Here comes Trouble..." She mumbled to Anise. She raised her eyebrows at Akari who was quickly dabbing at her stained dress, trying to make the soupy stain less obvious.

Roomi quickly applied to her face the broad, convincingly genuine smile that she put on for all her customers- the face that could persuade people to buy even the tackiest of trinkets. "Hi, Luke," She greeted cheerfully.

"Uh, hi, uh..." Luke glanced from Akari, to Roomi, to Anise, to Pat, and then back to Akari. He had heard Bo complain before that girls always travelled in packs, making it impossible to approach one of them without enduring sheer, tooth-grinding embarrassment. Luke had dismissed this as 'rubbish'. Why did it have to turn out to be true?!

"So, um, Akari, I was wondering... I mean, I... Uh..." Luke scratched the back of his neck, horribly aware of four pairs of eyes fixed on him. Akari looked up at him expectantly. "A-Ah" Luke snapped to his senses. "Uh... Wh-What was I saying again?"

"You were wondering..." Akari provided. Luke could tell from her tone of voice that she was getting impatient. He swallowed.

"Umm... Yeah, I was wondering..." He looked deliberately at Roomi, Pat and Anise, trying to get the message across that he needed to be alone with Akari. He was met by mischievous smiles and excited eyes, all hungry for what he was going to say. They were _enjoying _his humiliation, he realised.

"I was thinking maybe... I-If you wanted... M-Maybe..." Luke paused, his mind blank. Then: "I'm sorry!"

All at once, Anise, Roomi and Pat all burst out laughing- Anise and Pat trying to muffle their laughter, and Roomi doing an all-out hyena impression. Luke's face instantly flamed scarlet, his head screaming at him to run for it while he still could, but his feet still rooted to the ground. Akari glared daggers at her friends, pink-cheeked.

"Oh, grow up!" She snapped furiously. She smiled apologetically up at Luke, shrugging as if to say 'What am I going to do with them?' "Now," She said, "What was it you were going to say?"

Luke's reply was nothing but a feeble goldfish impression, his mouth opening, but the words failing to come out.

Composing herself, Anise nudged Akari smiling: "I do believe you young gentleman wishes to ask you to _dance _with him." She announced in a fake posh voice.

Luke bit down on his tongue so hard it brought tears to his eyes. The question sounded even worse than he thought it would. Bo was going to pay for this! He lowered his head, tugging down on his hair so that his eyes were hidden, his face so hot you could fry two eggs on it.

Akari was momentarily stunned. Her eyebrows shot up to her hairline and she turned on Anise. "Wh-What!? That's ridiculous!" She fumed. "Luke wasn't going to ask me... Were you?" She looked up at Luke, question in her voice.

"Uh, I... I guess...?" Luke mumbled.

"O-Oh... Oh! Really?" Akari stuttered, flustered.

Luke nodded, wishing the ground would just open up and swallow him.

"W-Well... All... All right then, but I'm not very good at it..." Akari warned, getting up and dusting herself down, still shaken. Was she dreaming here? Luke wasn't acting like himself at all. Not long ago he would've been able to ask her something even as embarrassing as that without batting an eyelid- even with Anise, Pat and Roomi there.

Making their way the centre of the town square, Akari finally let herself relax. "Well..." She sighed, smiling. "_That _was embarrassing!"

Luke grinned back. "You can say that again." He said. "So... what are we supposed to do?"

"I-I don't know!" Akari cried. "I thought _you'd _know! Let's see..." She looked around for help, hers eyes settling on Juli and Kotomi, who were also taking things slowly as Kotomi was a beginner. "I think I put my right hand here..." She laid her hand on his shoulder. "And you put yours here..." She took his hand and placed it at her waist. Luke's breath caught in his throat. Why did it have to be _there?_

"Right, now..." Akari looked back at Kotomi and Juli again. "We join hands like this..." She raised her voice, feigning confidence as she slipped her hand into Luke's, blushing. "I think that's right."

"Yeah..." Luke whispered, his voice hoarse and his throat dry, unable to block from his mind the dream in which he held Akari's small, rough hand like he was doing right that moment. Why was being close to Akari having such an effect on him lately? Even though he was used to being around her, all she had to do was smile and his heart would malfunction and start racing a hundred beats a minute. It was doing it now- he could feel it slamming against his ribcage, so loudly that he worried that Akari would notice.

"Now we..." Akari glanced back at Juli and Kotomi, but, to her dismay, she saw that they had concluded their routine. Juli smiled and kissed Kotomi's hand, and Kotomi's cheeks went prettily pink and she began to walk quickly back to her friends and sister, a smile on her face. Juli looked very pleased with himself as he wandered aimlessly through the other couples, eventually ending up beside Akari and Luke, who were both equally lost.

Juli took on his famous smirk and sarcastically said to Luke "You look like you know what you're doing."

Akari frowned, but decided to ignore the remark- though she would never admit it, she was actually quite enjoying just standing there in Luke's arms. Luke on the other hand went bright red and promptly told Juli to shut up. The overall effect was so funny that Akari couldn't help but laugh a little to herself, and she felt that at that moment 'love' was too weak a word to describe what she felt for him.

Juli raised his eyebrows, pretending to be offended. "I'll take it you don't want my help then?" He said. Both Akari and Luke said nothing, each knowing that they needed Juli's assistance, but each too proud to accept it.

Juli rolled his eyes. "All right," He sighed, realising neither was going to speak up. "First, you step back on your right foot, Akari. Which means, Luke, that you step _forward,_ do you understand?" He spoke slowly on purpose, as if he was talking to a particularly stupid person, thoroughly enjoying the power he had over Luke.

He continued to go over the routine especially slowly and carefully, and being sure to push Luke and Akari close together if ever they drew too far away from each other- 'just for artistic means, you must understand'. He seemed to be there not to help the two of them, but rather to watch them mess the whole routine up. Akari struggled in remembering when to turn, and in which direction to turn in; whereas Luke was constantly stumbling, almost knocking the both of them to the ground several times.

"You're a rubbish teacher, Juli." Akari said accusingly as she mixed up her right with her left for the tenth time.

"Don't blame me for your inability to adapt!" Juli laughed. "You have no coordination, Akari. And your boyfriend here is far too clumsy." He spoke his last sentence loudly just to make sure that Luke could hear every word.

"You're not here to insult us!" Akari grumbled. "Let's just finish this while we still have _some_ dignity left!"

"Right, right..." Juli sounded disappointed, no doubt because his comic relief was soon to be over. "Tip her back now, Boy, and don't drop her!"

"I'm only two years younger than you!" Luke objected. Boy, indeed!

"Three." Juli corrected. "Now tip her back!"

"Uh, o-okay..." Luke did as he was told, trying desperately to stop himself shaking as he did so- he didn't want to drop Akari, or worse still, fall on her. Akari held onto him tightly as he lowered her, but then let herself relax so that the only thing stopping her from falling on the hard stone ground was Luke. She looked up at him; a small triumphant smile on her face at having made it through the whole dance routine alive. Her muddy brown eyes were alive, deep and happy, gazing up at him with complete and utter trust. Looking right into his eyes. Staring right into his soul. It unnerved him. Made him feel vulnerable, exposed, like being stark naked in a public place.

Involuntarily, his arms loosened around her as her look weakened him. Akari let out a gasp of shock and quickly threw her arms around his neck, holding herself close to him as he hurriedly regained his strength. Even when he was holding onto her properly again, she did not let go of him. She stayed there, hanging onto him, her cool cheek pressed against his neck, her short brown hair tickling his face. Luke was aware of his face going red. His heart had leapt up to his throat, and his whole frame was trembling.

"You... You idiot..." Akari said breathlessly, her voice shaky. "You idiot..." She repeated. She was so close to him. Her skin against his, her breath tickling against his ear.

Luke could hear his heart pounding, his blood racing around his body... and then to one particular part of his body.

His eyes widened, horrified. Why, why, _why _did this have to happen _now?! _ Stumbling to straighten up and babbling apologies, he made sure to set Akari firmly back on her feetbefore running off like his life depended on it.

"Wh-What-? Luke!" Akari called after him, but it was too late. He skidded around the corner of the street leading from the town square, and then he was gone. Akari put her hands on her hips, frowning. She hadn't been _that_ angry at him for nearly dropping her!

Juli chuckled to himself, rubbing his chin thoughtfully and smirking. "I _wonder_ what could be wrong with _him..._"

--

**To write this chapter I have sacrificed my Mock French GCSE exam. No revision for me! I'll be in **_**big**_** trouble, but it was worth it just to write this chapter!**


	14. Sex Education

**Guess what! I didn't bomb my French exam after all! You know what 'Mademoiselle' said? 'It wasn't terrible'. Phew!**

**--**

Luke slammed the bathroom door behind him and locked it, before leaning over the sink and turning on the cold tap full power over his head. Dear God, what was _wrong_ with him? Why was he... why was he getting like _that_ around Akari? It was insane, it was completely unnatural! He leant back, hiding his still-red face in a towel. It was just so embarrassing.

He heard a knock at the bathroom door, along with the heavy panting of someone who had obviously been running to catch up with him. Frowning, Luke deliberately turned his back on the door.

"Go away, Bo." He said.

"It's _me_, moron." The voice replied.

Luke's eyes widened and he flung open the door to reveal- Juli, standing there in all his flamboyant, egocentric glory.

"Wha... What are you doing in my house?!" Luke demanded angrily.

Juli rolled his eyes and sighed exasperatedly. "You _did _leave the front door wide open, you know." He held a hand over his chest, steadying his panting. "You ought to slow down sometimes, you know that?" He folded his arms. "So what's wrong with you? Why did you just run off like that? It's no way to treat a lady- especially not one like Akari!"

"I, uh... I remembered I left the tap on?" Luke tried. Juli snorted.

"You're not fooling anyone."

Luke bit his lip. "I-It's not my fault! I-I just... _Sometimes..._ I get weird around Akari."

Juli put his hands on his hips in a rather effeminate manner. "Define '_weird'_."

Luke winced visibly. This was quickly turning into the most humiliating day of his life. "Well, uh..." He glanced from side to side, even though he knew there was no-one there. Leaning closer to Juli, he said quietly: "Promise not to tell anyone?"

"Oh, I don't know about _that..._" Juli teased, chuckling.

"_Promise!_ Juli, I'm serious." Luke said, his voice taking on the tone of a plead.

Juli rolled his eyes. "_Fine, _moron, I promise."

Luke took a deep breath. He wasn't exactly what you would call close friends with Juli, but, as much as he hated to admit it, he knew he was smarter than him. _He _would know what was happening to him. And, unlike his father, he wouldn't mince his words when explaining- Juli always got straight to the point.

"Well, it's just... lately... I've been acting strange... around her. Not _me_ exactly, but sometimes my heart starts beating really fast, and I get all panicky, a-and my face gets all hot and... erm..." Luke glanced to the side again, embarrassed to say it aloud. Beckoning Juli closer, he leaned in and whispered it to him. When he pulled away he made sure to look Juli straight in the eye, trying to regain confidence, or at least feign it.

Juli himself looked quite stunned. Then, after a moment, his face slowly began to break into a smile. And eventually he was laughing. "Oh, _I _get it!" He laughed, doubled over and holding his stomach. "You want to have sex with her!"

"I... I _what?! _No I don't!" Luke spluttered helplessly.

"It's doesn't soundlike you don't want to..." Juli teased. "Does it _feel _like you don't want to?"

"Sh-Shut up!" Luke yelled. "G-Get out of my house! Get out, get _out!"_ He spun Juli around and began to push him towards the front door- which was still open. Juli himself couldn't stop laughing.

"Well! Methinks the lady doth protest too much!" He said as Luke practically hurled him out of the door. "You're acting like such a girl, you know."

"_Out!"_

"You're overreacting." Juli said matter-of-factly, pulling his arm out of Luke's grip and leaning against the doorframe. "I bet you don't even know how it's done."

"Yes I do!" Luke denied, painfully aware of the traitorous blush that was cooking his cheeks. "Th-The woman has an egg and the man has a sperm a-and they join together to make a baby, right?!"

Juli raised his eyebrows in a sort of puzzled disbelief, not quite sure whether Luke was joking or whether he was really serious. After a second, he decided it was probably the latter. He let out an amazed laugh. "You really are an idiot."

Several shades of furious, and feeling every single day of the two-and-a-half years between him and Juli, Luke bit back the torrent of abuse longing to leave his lips and slammed the door in Juli's face.

Then, marching back upstairs and into the bathroom, he stepped into the shower, still wearing his smart, formal clothes, and turned the tap to 'on', allowing the freezing cold water to drench him completely form head to toe.

--

Little more than twenty minutes later, Dai arrived home from the wedding. Marching up to his son's bedroom, he opened the door and demanded "And _what _happened to y-" He got no further, however, as he froze at the sight of Luke lying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling- utterly soaked.

"Oh, uh..." Luke sat up, leaving a dark, damp patch on the bed where he had been laying. "Hi Dad," he grinned sheepishly.

Luke saw Dai's mouth open and close ineffectively as he took in the scene before him, realising how thoroughly Luke had managed to ruin his brand-new, formal clothes. He closed his eyes, and Luke could see him miming counting to ten. Luke knew from experience that his father only did that when he was _really _angry.

"Dad?" Luke piped up suddenly.

"_Yes?"_ Dai puffed after a deep breath.

"What is sex?"

Dai's eye's almost popped out of his head, and his throat momentarily closed up, causing him to have a massive coughing fit. Luke swallowed and shrugged apologetically at his father.

"E-Excuse me, young man?" Dai spluttered.

"Um... N-Not... Not exactly..." Luke bowed his head, fidgeting. "I know about the sperm and the egg and everything, i-it's just... _how_ does it happen?"

Dai took a deep breath, again. He knew he had never really discussed... the birds and the bees with Luke, but that was what schools were for! What were they paying them to teach their children nowadays? Sighing, he sat down on the bed bedside Luke.

"Well, son..." Dai began, selecting his words carefully. "You see, when two people love each other very much, they... Well, sometimes people get these _urges _to... to take their relationship to... another level..." He paused. Luke was blinking at him, totally oblivious.

"..._And," _Dai went on; "to express this love they have for one another they... they make love, or, as you put it, 'have sex'... This means they..." Dai made sure to look directly at his son when explaining the process, trying to let him know it was nothing to be embarrassed about or ashamed of.

Luke's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates as he took in this newfound information, his face flushing to the roots of his dripping wet hair.

"Wha... That's... Yuck!I mean... _Yuck!_ That's- Oh God... Oh God, oh my God..." He babbled, raising his hands to his head in disbelief. No-one had ever told him _anything_ like that in school! Not even in his human biology lessons- all they had told him was that the man had the sperm and the woman had the egg and that they fused together to create a baby. _Nobody had told him anything about... _about_ THAT!_

And... And Juli had thought... He had said Luke wanted to do _that_ to Akari. That was... That wasn't right!

Then Luke realised something else. "Wait... You have to do that to make a baby right? So that means you and Mum-"

"_Yes._" Dai snapped quickly, embarrassed to hear his son discussing the matter.

"So... You... I..." Luke floundered helplessly in the sea of sudden unwanted knowledge, feeling both disgusted, and humiliated that he hadn't figured it out for himself. "I mean, uh... G-Goodnight!" And he lay down and hid his head under the pillow. "I'm going to sleep!" His voice was muffled.

"But Luke-"

"See you in the morning, Dad!"

Dai sighed and shook his head as he walked out of his son's room, half-closing the door behind him.

"But it's only two in the afternoon!"

--

**Have you noticed how in 'sex education' in school they really **_**don't **_**tell you how it's done? That's how it went in our school, anyway! And perhaps if we had acquired proper knowledge on the subject, those six girls wouldn't have gotten pregnant just before their GCSE's...**

**Or maybe my school is just too 'rough' for an articulate woman such as myself!**

**A/N: I must just say, I am **_**loving **_**Juli recently! Though don't you think he was being just a **_**little **_**hypocritical in saying **_**Luke **_**was 'acting like a girl'?**

**Also, as this chapter was focused mainly on Luke, I've decided to have a chapter centred on Akari next.**


	15. Almost

**I had a 'Luke' day yesterday. Firstly, I fell down the stairs. Bang, bang, bang- a whole flight of 'em! Thankfully I wasn't too injured- just my leg, hip and ribs. Then, when I was going to bed I tripped over a hugely overflowing laundry basket that just happened to be obstructing the landing in the pitch dark! I was furious- I haven't had such a bruise since I tried to jump over a wall whilst holding my violin (emphasis on **_**tried)**_**. And now, **_**now,**_** my monthly equivalent of a boot to the stomach has decided to rear its ugly head just in time for Christmas! Now I understand the torture I so cruelly put him through... But if you think this means I'm going to stop, you can think again!**

**--**

"See you later, Anise," Akari waved goodbye to her friend they parted at the path leading up to her farm.

"Bye, Akari."

Akari smiled as she trotted up to her house- she had made sure her animals were cleaned, fed and watered before she had set off for the wedding. Looking back, maybe she should've done that _before _changing into her bridesmaid's dress. She unlocked the front door. Shuffling into her house, she closed the door behind her and leaned against it for a moment, smiling to herself. Then, she started to laugh, pushing herself away from the door and twirling round like a ballerina. It was one of the few times in her life when she didn't mind acting stereotypically 'girly'.

Sighing happily, she completed her pirouette and flopped down on her bed, snatching up her teddy bear, Ashley, from her pillow and hugging him close to her chest. She wasn't at all ashamed or embarrassed for still having a teddy bear at twenty-two. After all, Ashley was even older than she- her father had bought him for her the day before she was born, and in her childhood she hadn't spent a day without him. He'd soaked up her tears throughout her parents' divorce; and even now she was too old for toys, she didn't have the heart to throw him away.

Sitting up she gazed at her reflection in the mirror. Her dress was stained beyond repair, her skin was beaded with goose-bumps from the winter air, her hair had sprung up from its set style into a bird's nest, her bare legs were mottled blue with cold and she had managed to break the heel off one of her shoes on the walk home- and yet she had never seen herself look more beautiful. Her wide smile shone out from her face and lit up her whole body. It was true what they said- people were the most beautiful when they were in love.

And Akari was in love with Luke.

To be honest, she couldn't quite understand exactly _why _Luke had asked her to dance like he had. She knew stuff like that just wasn't 'his thing'. It wasn't 'her thing' either, but once in a while, with the right person... It was a bit romantic. But Luke hadn't been acting like himself recently. Akari couldn't quite put her finger on it, but... something was strange. He seemed so distracted when he was around her, almost nervous, but she could tell he was doing his best to hide it. He was getting overly defensive when he needn't be. The something clicked in her head.

He was acting just like _she _acted around _him._

But that was ridiculous! But was it...? For so long Akari had believed that Luke could never love her the way she loved him. The very thought of him falling for her was inconceivable to her. She had always assumed him too oblivious, too single-minded. But now she could help thinking... _what if...?_

--

Dai knocked on Luke's bedroom door. It was a way of routine for him- though Luke had boundless amounts of energy during the day, he could sleep through a marching band playing outside his bedroom window. Many a time in his childhood Dai had been forced to throw him out of the house half-dressed with his schoolbag only partly packed in order for him to get to the bus in time.

"Luke! Get up!" Silence emitted from his son's room, and Dai frowned. Luke had a tendency to talk in his sleep- heck, sometimes he even _sang._ And even if he was awake, why were there no pleads of 'five more minutes?'

Unsure, Dai called again. "Luke?"

Letting out a sigh of defeat, he turned and headed downstairs. Luke would have to work overtime to make up for what he was wasting while sleeping. As he was ambling down the stairs, however, he could hear footsteps coming from the kitchen. Opening to door, he found Luke, washing his breakfast dishes, wide awake as ever.

"You're up early." Dai retorted in surprise. Quickly, he bustled over to the sink and shooed Luke out of the way, taking over washing the dishes- if he left Luke to his own devices around the china, he was fairly sure they'd be eating off the bare table by the end of the week.

"Is that a crime?" Luke replied cheekily. Then he yawned. Dai turned to get a proper look at his son, and only then did he notice the heavy black rings that framed his eyes.

"Luke... Did you get _any _sleep last night?" He asked suspiciously.

"Yeah, I did. I _did._" Luke repeated it just to get his point across. "I just... had a lot to think about. Plus I had time to make those shelves." He gestured vaguely to the wall opposite the table, upon which hung three perfectly crafted shelves. Dai's jaw dropped open.

"Luke, this is about yesterday, isn't it? About-"

"_Don't _say it!"

Dai sighed, his hunch confirmed. It was his fault, he supposed. He really should have talked to Luke about it years ago. He had expected him to have learned about it at school. In his view, Luke's awareness was nothing to do with him. In a way- and any parent would agree, he was sure- teachers were paid to tell their children what parents themselves were too cowardly, uncertain or worried to tell.

There wasn't anything he could think of anything particularly reassuring or helpful to say to Luke, other than: "You'll get used to it." Which, when he thought about it, probably wasn't the most useful thing to say. In fact, it was more likely to make things even worse.

"Dad..." Luke said, in something between a grumble and a sigh. He sat down at the table. "Am I stupid?"

Dai was taken aback. "What...?" He moved closer to his son. "No, Luke, no, of course not. Why would you ask that?" Luke had always been the most confident of people, ever since he was a child, loud and proud. But now, for some reason, he seemed to be shrinking into his chair.

"I don't know much." He mumbled. "When people look to me it's like they know something I don't. It's like they're all laughing at me." He paused. "It's okay, Dad. I know I'm stupid. You don't have to be nice about it."

"Luke, for goodness sake! What's wrong with you?" Dai shook him by the shoulders. He knew he shouldn't snap, but Luke was acting so strangely it was almost scaring him, and he couldn't help it.

"I'm always the one who has to have things explained to him! Even in school, _I _was the one who didn't know his times tables, or couldn't tell physics from biology, o-or who couldn't spell 'because' or 'people' or other stupid, easy words." Luke spat it out all in a rush, as if the words tasted bad in his mouth. It was as if it was the first time he'd told this to himself, as well as Dai. He hung his head. "That's why I have to be like this. It's always 'Good old Luke, what a clown, always good for a laugh', well, I _have _to laugh. I have to laugh even when I want to... even when I'm sad, 'cause it's better having people laughing _with _me instead of _at _me." Then his voice caught in his throat and he stopped talking.

Dai inhaled to sigh again, but looking at Luke he didn't feel like sighing any more. He didn't feel tired or exasperated in the slightest. He placed his hand on Luke's shoulder.

"Thank you for telling me that, Luke." He said.

Luke shrugged. "It's not like it's important."

"Well _I _think it's _very _important." Dai said, walking back to the sink and stacking the dishes away. "And just so you know, you're not stupid. You might not be a genius, but you're a good person, and that's worth a lot more than grammar or mathematics. And I'm not just saying that because I'm your father. Okay?"

"Okay." Luke replied, in such a way that Dai couldn't tell whether he had taken in what he'd said or not. He looked up and flashed his usual grin. "So, is Bo working today or what?"

Dai frowned as all trace of Luke's self-consciousness disappeared with that one smile. It worried him. It made him think... all those times when Luke had smiled at him, or at the other villagers... Was that just a cover for what he feeling inside?

"I'm going to the workshop." Luke announced, getting up and trotting out of the room. Turning back to his father, he said: "...Dad. I'm okay, you know."

"I never said you weren't."

"Yeah, but you were thinking it!" Luke grinned. "You always stress over nothing. I'll see you in a minute!" And he dashed off.

And suddenly Dai felt like sighing again.

--

Akari hummed a happy tune to herself as she hopped up the steps to the carpenter's shop. Her glow from the previous night still had not worn off. But, with her hand hovering over the doorknob, she stopped. She started to wonder about what she should say to Luke, how she should behave. Things were still bound to be a little awkward after what had happened at the wedding. And... Luke was acting strangely. What if he really _was _falling for her?

_Oh, you wish, Akari! Come on, it's time to get your head out of the clouds and your feet on the ground. Stop being so stupid. Luke doesn't think of you as anything more than a friend, you know that._ He wouldn't. He COULDN'T. Could he...?

Akari shook her head. She had grown so used to the idea that Luke would never love her that the prospect of the two of them being together scared her. She had never been in a serious relationship before- just a short-term boyfriend and a fling or two whilst on holiday, and that was when she was just a little girl. Looking back, she wasn't proud of her love-life.

But she had never felt this way about anyone before. Luke was unlike anyone she had ever met- and anyone she ever would meet, she was willing to bet. Akari prided herself on being strong and never showing her real emotions, but when she was around Luke she was stripped of the armour that she had spend so many years perfecting. Maybe it was his friendliness, or his enthusiasm, or his downright _cluelessness_- something about him had shattered her protective barrier as if it had never been there in the first place. And, though it made her feel vulnerable, never once did it make her feel unhappy or uncomfortable. In fact, it was quite relaxing to let her guard down once in a while.

Akari trail of thought was broken, and she stumbled back in surprise as she heard a loud bang emit from the other side of the carpentry door, followed by a shout of: "_Pull, not PUSH!"_

And the door opened to reveal Luke, rubbing his nose sheepishly. He jumped when he saw Akari.

"Whoa! Akari! You surprised me." He grinned, bloody nose and all. "What're you here for?"

"Oh, uh, well, I came to see you, actually." Akari blurted out without thinking, then mentally cursed herself. Sometimes being so unguarded wasn't such a good thing- it could make her look pretty dumb. "But, if you're going out, then..."

"O-Oh! Well, y'know, _I_ was just going to see _you_, so..." Luke said, scratching the back of his neck. After he'd said it, Akari saw him cringe visibly, obviously feeling as stupid as she. Unlike her, he never was good at hiding his emotions.

"R-Really? So, uh, you want to, uh, should we, erm..." Akari stuttered hopelessly, suppressing the tremendous urge to scream and bang her head repeatedly off the wall in embarrassment.

"Y-Yeah, let's, uh... Come on." Luke decided on, head bowed, taking Akari by the hand and practically dragging her down the steps. "See you later, Dad!"

Akari heard Dai laughing behind them and shouting "Good luck, son!" Luke actually squeaked in embarrassment, and increased his pace to an all-out sprint, almost lifting Akari off her feet as she struggled to keep up with him.

"Luke! Hey!" Akari laughed breathlessly. "Stop! Why are we running? I said stop!" Her voice hardened and she snatched her hand away.

Luke shrugged, looking sheepishly at her. "Sorry."

And she smiled, and he smiled back.

--

Luke and Akari just talked for a long time. Sat side by side on a large piece of driftwood at the beach, they just talked about everything- friends, the wedding, business, the winter air that was making itself known- but not themselves, and not each other. Things were easier that way. If they talked about themselves, then they would have to talk about _feelings._ And feelings weren't safe.

They talked about their pasts. It was the first time they had ever talked about it in depth before. Luke told Akari about his mother's death, and how he and Dai had been changed by it; and Akari told Luke about her parents' divorce. She had never really talked about it to anyone before, and she started crying a bit- just a few small tears- even though she wasn't really sad any more.

"Sorry," she sniffed. "I'm being stupid, aren't I? At least I still have my parents, after all..." Akari felt terrible about crying when Luke had gone through so much more than she had- but, surprisingly, not weak. Had she been with anyone but Luke, that would not have been the case.

He smiled at her, his catlike eyes seeing Akari as herself, with no barrier, knowing her, understanding her. She smiled back, wiping her wet cheeks. Inhaling deeply in preparation, Akari awkwardly leant her head on Luke's shoulder. Luke stiffened, before relaxing, rather enjoying the warmth of Akari's body leaning against his. Before long he gingerly raised his hand and slowly worked his arm around Akari, biting his tongue all the while, before eventually mustering up the courage and placing his hand on her shoulder. They didn't speak- they didn't have to. They sat like that for a long time, and eventually then sun began to set, and Akari began to snore lightly.

Luke smiled in amusement at the sleeping Akari, and leant his cheek on the top of her head, her feathery brown hair tickling his nose. It felt so nice, just sitting there, watching the ocean with Akari. His heart was pounding and his head spinning- but he felt happy and completely at peace. If only they could stay that way forever.

Akari shifted in her seat so that her head was tilted upwards slightly, facing Luke. She really did look beautiful when she was asleep. Content and peaceful. Her pink lips were slightly parted, her dark hair fell over her forehead, framing her face, her cheeks were flushed from sleep.

Luke's hand had unconsciously raised itself up, and he didn't even notice until it had found its way to rest against the side of Akari's face. He stroked his thumb across her cheek. It was strange- Akari's hands were rough, but her cheeks were smooth and soft as a whisper.

He began to lean in closer to her, his mind now totally clouded, his better judgement defeated by the unfamiliar feeling inside him. He was now so close to her that her image was blurring and he could taste her breath on his tongue.

He snapped to his senses when his lips were barely an inch away from Akari's. Blushing furiously, he very nearly fell off the driftwood altogether, just managing to stop himself for Akari's sake, not wanting to wake her.

He sat there, frozen stiff, staring into the distance, until Akari woke up. And then he couldn't bring himself to look her in the face, too overcome by confusion and the guilt that he took advantage of Akari while she was sleeping. He said goodbye quickly, making sure not to look at her, unable to trust himself to without blushing. And then he ran all the way home, trying- and failing- to forget that he had almost _kissed _Akari.

--

**I'm so sorry! I know I'm terrible- as you can probably tell form the A/N at the start of this chapter, I started writing this a month ago. I know, because I just got my monthly kick in the stomach!**

**Since writing the first authors note, I have fallen down the stairs again, and **_**up **_**the stairs, too- whilst holding my mum's wedding dress! Oops.**

**A long chapter to make up for my long break. Hope you enjoyed it! Tell me what you think!**


	16. The Turning Point

**Not for this chapter: Takeru is the name of the male player character.**

--

Akari slammed her front door behind her as she stormed into her house, her face showing fully the frustration, sadness and anger she felt. Throwing herself on her bed, she scooped Ashley into a hug. Then she held him at arm's length, looking in disdain at his glassy eyes and lop-sided grin. She was suddenly filled with fury- how dare he look so happy at a time like this?- and she hurled him across the room. He hit the wall hard, knocking her calendar to the floor with a thud. Akari didn't care. She flung her head down on her pillow. How could she have been so _stupid?_

When Luke had put his arm around her like that, she had thought, maybe... but no. Luke didn't love her. He never had. His farewell to her had shown that quite clearly. She had been too fast, too forward. And she had scared Luke out of his wits by doing so. She had known how oblivious he was, so why did she...?

She couldn't get the look on Luke's face when he bid her goodbye out of her head. His face expressionless, eyes averted, not even looking at her... It broke her heart.

Akari sat up and crossed her legs, leaning her elbows on her knees and her chin on the palms of her hands. She smiled bitterly, laughing at herself. She really was a pitiful excuse for a woman, wasn't she? Here she was, almost weeping over her unrequited love, when she hadn't even given Luke a chance to reject her properly.

So that's exactly what she would do. First thing in the morning, she would go to the carpentry, and lay her feelings down. She would confess everything, how she had loved him for so long, how every time she saw him it hurt because she knew he could never...

Akari wiped her eyes furiously on the back of her hand. She was crying. How weak. She wasn't going to cry anymore. After tomorrow, nothing would be worth crying over. Not really. Not ever.

--

Luke had run straight up to his room as soon as he'd gotten home, slamming the door behind him. He had ignored his father's questions of what happened. He sat down heavily on his bed and pulled the sheets over his head.

What was wrong with him? What was going on...? This wasn't right. This wasn't like him at all. Why was it that whenever he got near Akari...?

It wasn't like him to be nervous. But now whenever he was near Akari his face would heat up, his vision would cloud, and his heart would start springing around in his chest like an Olympic gymnast. It was too strange, too alien. It was frightening.

Maybe... It would stop if he told her. After he'd told Juli and his dad, he'd been embarrassed, but it felt somewhat relieving to get it off his chest. Perhaps if he talked it over with Akari, the huge weight that he was carrying on his shoulders would be lifted.

His mind set, Luke nodded determinedly to himself. Yes, that was what he would do. Tomorrow morning, he would tell her.

--

Akari didn't even hesitate as she swung open the door of the carpentry purposefully. She couldn't afford to let her brain take over. If she let that happen, then she'd chicken out for sure. Breathing hard, trying desperately not to let her better judgement get to her, she marched into the shop.

"Luke!"

"Akari!"

"I have to talk to you." This came out of both mouths in unison, and the two of them stopped suddenly, staring at each other.

"This is very important." Akari said quietly.

"So is this."

Akari put her hands on her hips and sighed, just looking at Luke. He was determined to make this a difficult as possible for her, it seemed. It was always like this. It drove her crazy.

"You know what... Never mind. Just forget it, just..." Akari sighed exasperatedly, waving a hand in annoyance. She just could do it. She wasn't meant to do it...

"No, wait..." Luke reached out to grasp her wrist and jerk her back. And as she turned to face him, Luke's whole body froze. Akari had tears in her eyes. Her face was emotionless, but her eyes were shimmering with tears and she couldn't hide it. "Akari..." he whispered. "What's wrong...?"

Akari snatched her wrist away and hid her face. "Nothing... Nothing, I..." She took a deep breath. "Just give me a minute to..." To prepare to have her heart broken. She gazed up at him for a few second, taking in everything, his unruly blue hair sticking out from under his bandana, his bright, catlike eyes, his tanned skin, his mouth hung slightly open in anticipation of her words. She just needed a few moments to pretend to herself that she had the chance of making him hers.

Just three words. Three useless little words to ruin her life.

"Akari...? Are you all ri-" Luke was cut off mid-sentence as he was met by a soft pair of lips forcing their way onto his. Skinny arms wound around his neck, and he could feel Akari's body pressing against his. She was kissing him. Akari was kissing him. Hungry and passionate and lonely and desperate.

Akari let her mind be swept away. She let herself pretend, just for a second, that Luke loved her, and was kissing her as willingly as she did him. That this impossibility she was creating was real. But then she remembered that it wasn't, and that she was stealing this feeling from him, and she pulled away abruptly.

Luke stared at her, wide-eyed. He raised a hand to touch his mouth, as if not quite able to take in what had just happened. Akari stared back, a sad frown on her face. She waited, scared he wouldn't talk, scared he would.

"Wh-Why did you do that?" Luke eventually whispered shakily, and Akari felt an explosion for pain and loss in her chest. Oh God, why _did _she do that?

"You idiot." She whispered, her voice tearful and barely there. "Because I love you."

And then she turned on her heel and fled from the shop, ignoring Luke's cried for her to come back. She had to get out of there. She had to get as far away from Luke as possible. She couldn't even look at him. To look at him would be to cry and beg and throw herself before him screaming "I love you, I surrender myself completely!"

It wasn't until she was far down the path from Bagel Carpentry when she realised her face was wet. Still running, she looked up- but the sky was clear and cloudless. But still, the rain wouldn't stop. It kept on raining, even when she was locked in her house and hiding under the covers of her bed. The storm had been raging for what seemed like hours before Akari decided enough was enough.

She picked up the phone and dialled a number she hadn't used in ages. Holding it to her ear, she smiled through her tears as she heard the familiar, high-pitched, upper-class voice echo down the line...

--

"Yes, yes, I'm coming..." Takeru stumbled down the stairs, half-dressed with a towel wrapped around his head. Why did the telephone always seem to ring while he was the only one in the house? He picked up the phone from its place on the wall. It was an old-fashioned phone, white and gold, and the type that was split into two pieces, one that you held to your ear, and the other that you spoke into. Takeru had often enquired about buying a more modern version, but his mother had flatly refused, being a woman of old fashioned values.

"Hello, this is Takeru..." He said into the mouthpiece.

"Hi, Tak. Guess who?" A quiet voice sniffed down the line. A smile broke out over Takeru's face.

"Akari? Is that you?" He asked, starting to laugh happily. "It's been ages! How are you?"

"I'm... fine. I'm fine." Akari mumbled. Takeru frowned. Akari sounded different somehow. Not like the cheerful, stubborn Akari he had seen off to Waffle Town almost two years ago. Her voice was muffled and sad.

"Akari... Are you crying?"

"No!" Akari said quickly, though her voice caught in her throat as she said it. She sniffled. "No..."

"Akari, what's wrong?" Takeru asked gently, coaxing her out of her shell. Takeru was never one to force someone. "Please, tell me."

Akari sighed. "Takeru... you know you said, when I left, that... if anything happened, if I ever needed anything, anything at all, I could call you?" She asked. "...Well, something's happened."

Takeru sighed. He wandered back over to the staircase and sat down on the second step, leaning against the wall. "Well." He said. "Why don't you tell me all about it?"

--

Akari felt horrible lying to Takeru. He had been her friend for so long, she had always trusted him. She still did. But she couldn't let go of her pride so easily. She couldn't tell him that the reason she was in such a mess was because she was heartbroken. It was silly, weak. Even as children, Akari had always prided herself on being the strong one of the pair.

She didn't want to ask such a huge favour of him, but in truth, she had nobody else to turn to. Akari and Takeru had known each other for almost fifteen years. They had been inseparable throughout their younger years, and even when Takeru had been packed off to a private boarding school, they had kept in touch, phoning each other every day. Many a time they had, understandably, been mistaken as a couple, but they made it clear that their relationship was strictly platonic.

Akari heard Takeru exhale heavily down the phone, obviously finding it hard to take in what she had asked of him. "W-Well, I'm not at all experienced in that sort of thing, you know." He said eventually.

"Oh, Tak, I know, but... You're the only one I can trust. I'll leave you instructions on everything, and Anise and Leena will help you out for sure. Please, Takeru... Please..." Her voice faded to a whisper as another tear rolled down her cheek. She was begging, but at that moment she was so desperate that she didn't care. "It won't be for very long, I swear. I've just got to get out for a while... Straighten myself out. I would never ask you to give up your ambitions for me, you know I wouldn't. Please."

Takeru sighed again. "...All right, then, Akari. I'll do it." He said. "But you will, as they say, 'owe me big time'!"

Akari laughed hollowly. "Thank you so much, Takeru." She breathed. "Don't worry, I'll sort everything out. I'll pay for the removals and the rent for the house, and you can keep all the profit from the farm."

"Akari, no, you don't have to-"

"Yes, I do." Akari said. She was feeling sick with the guilt of what she'd practically forced her childhood friend into doing, and paying off all the fees would lift the stone from her stomach, if just a little. She had known Takeru would say yes. He was so nice. Too nice.

"When are you planning to do this?" Takeru asked.

"I can have it all sorted by tomorrow, a few days at the most." Akari replied. "All you have to do is pack your things- make sure you bring old clothes that you don't mind getting dirty!"

She could almost hear Takeru smiling nervously. "I-I'd better go shopping then...!"

Akari smiled gently, her voice softening. "Thanks, Takeru."

"Any time, Akari."

--

Luke was sat on his bed, frozen stiff and staring straight ahead. He hadn't been able to think straight ever since that morning. Now it was seven at night, almost ten hours later, and he still hadn't been able to wrap his mind around Akari's words. She had said... She had said that she _loved _him.

Dai had been unable to get any response from him whatsoever all day, and him being out the back of the workshop when Akari had confessed, he was clueless as to what was wrong with his son. Eventually Luke had been dismissed from work for lack of efficiency.

Akari loved him. She _loved _him. It had been after she said that that Luke had actually began to think- what _was _love, exactly? He couldn't ask his dad. It was something he had to figure out for himself. He knew it was what his mum and dad had felt for each other, but that was so long ago now...

What did he feel for Akari...? He knew it was a feeling different to any he had ever felt before. The sort of emotion that took control of his whole body and clouded his mind and forced his heart to take over. A powerful heat in his chest- and, sometimes, _other _parts of his body- that made him want to say thing, _do _things that frightened him to think about.

It was crazy.

This feeling... Was it the same as what Akari felt for him? If it was, then this feeling that they both felt for each other... Was that...? He had liked it when she kissed him, he admitted that. He had wanted her to keep on kissing him, he had wanted to kiss her back. He wanted to kiss her again, just for that pleasant tingly felling he got spreading throughout his body.

He had to talk to her. He had to see her.

He hopped out of bed and dashed out of the room, taking the stairs three at a time. For what was probably the first time in his life, he remembered the door was _pull, _not _push._ He jogged down the path and up to Akari house. He knocked on the door.

There was no answer.

He knocked again- still nothing. Perhaps she had gone out for a bit, to buy fertiliser or fodder for her animals. Perhaps she had gone to see Anise. Yeah, Anise would know where she was.

"Hey, Anise!"

Anise winced as the door to her shop banged loudly against the wall as Luke burst in with usual enthusiasm. Luke grinned and rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry." He said. Anise laid down the expenses list she was filing through on the counter and smiled.

"That's fine." She said. "What can I do for you?"

"Uh, yeah, d'you know where Akari is?" Luke asked. Immediately, Anise's smile faded from her face and was replaced with a look of sadness and concern.

"Well, yes, she just set out of town for a while to sort a few things out." Anise said sadly. "She needs to order the removal van and book tickets for the ferry, after all..."

Luke frowned. "What are you talking about?"

Anise's eyes widened and she raised a delicate hand to her mouth. "She... She didn't tell you?" She whispered, horrified. "I see, well, you just forget what I just said, okay? I really think this is something Akari needs to tell you herself..."

"Tell me what? Anise, what's going on?!" Luke demanded, panicking.

"Please, there's no need to shout." Anise said, covering her ears, and Luke apologised. He hadn't realised he had been shouting. Anise lowered her gaze. "You didn't hear this from me, all right? But... Akari's leaving Waffle Town. Her boat arrives tomorrow."

--

**Shock! Horror! I'm sorry, faithful readers, but it would appear I've just destroyed the whole romantic that I spent so long to build up! Believe me when I say things are going to get worse before they get better.**

**I'm quite sure not many of you were expecting this, so it would be lovely to hear what you thought!**


	17. Hello, Goodbye

**Ah! You have no idea how busy I've been lately! Lots of work, plus I have exams all next week too, which is why I haven't been updating as often as I'd like to. I'm sorry- you're all being so good to put up with me and carry on reading despite it all!**

**Note for this chapter: Chihaya is Chase, and Mai is Maya.**

--

Luke was sat, waiting, on Akari's doorstep when she returned home from the town. It had been raining, not heavily, but Luke was soaked to the skin. Akari felt a slight stab of guilt as it occurred to her just how long he must have been sitting there for him to have gotten so wet. But it was nothing compared the jagged knife of heartbreak that had been hacking into her for the past day- past _year._

Marching purposefully towards her house, she held her head up high, refusing to look at Luke, partly because she was too proud to acknowledge him, but mostly because if she _did _ look at him, she feared she would burst into tears.

Luke scrambled to his feet, and Akari walked straight past him and set about unlocking her door with unnecessary fuss.

"Akari..."

She ignored him completely.

"Akari, are you upset?"

Upset. What a ridiculously inadequate word for what she felt. It was painful just how little Luke understood. He couldn't understand. She was stupid for ever believing that he could.

"Akari..." A hand touched her shoulder, and she instinctively slapped it away.

"Go _away, _Luke," Akari snapped. Her voice caught in her throat, and she hated herself for it. "I need to p-pack."

Luke blinked at her, wide-eyed and oblivious. "You're not really leaving, are you?" He asked. "C'mon, stop messing around. It's not funny-"

"No, I'll tell you what's not funny!" Akari broke. She knew she would if she were to see Luke, but she hadn't expected it to happen so soon. And now the floodgates were open and every hurt and frustration of the last two years were rushing out like a tidal wave, impossible to stop. She didn't _want _to stop. She suddenly wanted Luke to know just how much she'd suffered because of him.

"Two years, Luke," Akari said. Her voice was shaking, but with renewed strength and anticipation. "For two years I l-loved you, and you never even spared me a _thought. _You look at me the same way you look at Bo or Tao or any other friend. I knew... I knew you didn't love me, but I didn't care. I thought I could live with it. But I can't. It's killing me, Luke. Every time I see you, it's killing me. I kept trying and trying to drive you away, 'cause I couldn't take it, but you always came back. I didn't ask you to come back." Her voice faded to a whisper, and Akari knew she was about to start crying again. "You always follow after me. Like some pathetic puppy!"

Harsh words to send him away. Empty insults to block out her heartbreak. She didn't want him. She didn't want him, but she needed him. Need. Such a weak thing. Akari had never had to depend on anyone, anyone but herself. She didn't _need _anyone. Except she did.

"I-I-I didn't know..." Luke stammered feebly. He was looking at her so innocently, as if he hadn't done a thing to deserve her words. He _didn't _deserve them- and that made Akari angry, so angry.

"Of course you didn't know. You never bothered to look! I was always the best friend, the good mate. And that's all I ever will be, isn't it? How long, Luke? How long will it take for you to notice me, for you to _grow up_? Months? Years? Because I'll wait for you, I will!" Akari was shouting now, and, she realised must've been doing so for a while. Her throat was rasping painfully, but she couldn't afford to stop now. She was ruining everything. Her armour was crumbling into nothing and leaving her weak and vulnerable, but she couldn't stop it. She didn't want to stop it. She wanted Luke to see just what he had turned her into.

"But I can't wait here, because every time I look at you, I..." Akari trailed off into a painful silence. Her face was wet with tears. She hadn't cried in years- yet in the past few hours she had shed enough tears to last anybody a lifetime. God, she was pathetic. A loser, a coward, a stupid little girl. "I have to go. Now. Get out of my sight Luke. I don't want to see you." She turned her back on him and began fumbling in her pocket for her keys with unnecessary fuss.

"I..." Luke's voice was impossibly quiet. Akari shook her keys in an attempt to drown him out- but a part of her wanted to listen. She paused, waiting. Luke took a step towards her.

"I'm sorry..."

At that, Akari was filled with a terrible rage that she had never felt before in her life. It rose in her, higher and hotter, until eventually, like a volcano, she _exploded._

"Sorry! Sorry! _You're always sorry!"_ She turned on him, screaming right in his face. "You don't even know what you're sorry _for!_ You're just a stupid little kid. I don't need you. I hate you. I hate you! I love you..." Akari raised her hands to her chest, desperately trying to calm her erratic breathing. She was sobbing so breathlessly she was almost hysterical. Two years of pent-up emotion was too much to handle, even for her.

Luke shakily reached forward, laying both his hands on Akari's trembling shoulders, begging her to stop crying. Akari's hand moved on its own. Her palm made sharp contact with the side of his face, with enough force to knock his head sideways.

Akari gasped, both hands flying to her mouth, her sobs immediately silenced. She had slapped him. She had slapped Luke. Her palm stung where it had stuck his cheek. She stared up at him, horrified. She hadn't meant to do that.

Yes, she had.

Luke himself seemed frozen in place, his head still turned, eyes glued to the ground. Akari heard him swallow, and the tip of his tongue gingerly poked out to touch the side of his lip. Akari had hit him so hard his lip was bleeding. He didn't raise a hand to wipe the blood away.

"I probably deserved that," he whispered. And Akari broke down.

Luke tried to hug her, but she wouldn't let him. He kept saying over and over, that it was okay, he didn't mind, she didn't hurt him, well, she _did_, but he didn't mind- but Akari pushed him away, singing childishly between sobs, desperate to drown him out.

"Just get away from me, Luke. Just leave. Please, just leave." And the door swung back in his face.

--

Akari didn't leave her house until five minutes before the ferry was due to arrive. She wanted to. She wanted to say her goodbyes. She wanted to hug Anise and chat with Roomi and tease Kotomi about her love life and bid a formal farewell to Gil and his father and wish Leena and Tao all the best in their marriage and kiss Bo and make him blush. But she couldn't. She couldn't risk running into Luke.

She checked outside from her window before hauling her suitcases and backpack in tow and stumbling out of the door. She placed the house key under the doormat after locking the door. It was tremendously difficult to do just that. Like she was forfeiting a part of her soul. It was her house. Though now it was Takeru's.

Dragging her cases towards the exit of her farm, Akari felt a pang of pain as she passed by the animal barn. She thought of her cows, April, May and June, and her sheep, August and March. She knew Takeru would take care of them. But she would miss them all the same.

It took her nearly fifteen minutes to reach the beach with her suitcases in tow- Akari hadn't realised that she had so many _clothes._ And then there were the necessities, such as her toiletries and her books and photo albums and dear old Ashley (who was still a little misshapen from his flight across the room the previous day). It was a cold morning, and the air was crisp and hard. The birds were singing happily- spring was drawing in.

Anise was waiting at the beach. That didn't surprise Akari- what surprised her was that half the town was waiting with her. Oh no. She had told Anise not to tell anyone. Akari got the feeling she would be crying before she got on the boat that was approaching the pier.

"Anise!" She hissed with half-hearted anger. "I told you to keep it a secret!" Akari was cut off by her best friend practically pouncing on her like a wild animal so that Akari dropped her suitcases, throwing her arms around her neck and hugging her tight.

"Oh, Akari, I'm going to miss you so much," Anise whispered.

Akari hugged Anise back, burying her face in her long silky hair and breathing in her soft flowery scent. "I'll miss you too," she said, tears already in her eyes. "I don't want to leave."

"Then stay," Anise begged, pulling away and looking Akari seriously in the eyes.

"You know I can't do that," Akari whispered, and Anise nodded. She understood.

"Akari!" A high-pitched voice shrieked out, and suddenly Akari was knocked to the ground as a small, frilly, pink-and-purple thing dived on top of her, sending sand spraying everywhere. This was followed by a blue blur, and Akari was hauled back to her feet.

"R-Roomi, Kotomi!" Akari exclaimed in surprise, her heart still pounding with the shock. "Good morning. Um..." She bit her lip, staring awkwardly at Roomi, who was currently clinging to her as if for dear life and sobbing into her chest. She patted her shoulder unsurely, though part of her was pleased. Roomi had been so hostile when she had first moved to the island two years ago. Now, that same sarcastic girl was wailing over her.

"You're so _selfish, _Akari! What about your farm? What about _us?" _Roomi yelled accusingly.

"R-Roomi! D-Don't be like that..." Kotomi said, helping to gently unhinge her sister's arms from around Akari's neck. She smiled at Akari. "I'm sorry. Anise didn't mean to tell us, but... We'll miss you, Akari."

"You'll get by without me, I'm sure," Akari said weakly. She grinned to herself as she saw Juli hovering close by. She waved to him, and he sauntered over, slipping his hand into Kotomi's. Kotomi's eyes widened in surprise, but she didn't snatch her hand away.

"You'll be back, right?" Juli asked, smirking.

"Maybe. In a few months, a year... two years..." Akari answered, swallowing the lump that was rapidly growing in her throat. "I wouldn't want to miss all the excitement!" It sounded like a ridiculous thing to say, considering the calm, sleepy nature of Waffle Town, but it was true. Since Tao and Leena's marriage, the whole town had been eagerly awaiting news of a baby, and the way things were going, they could expect to be hearing wedding bells for Juli and Kotomi soon.

"Good luck, you two." Akari nodded at Juli and Kotomi. Both blushed and smiled embarrassedly, as if they had been caught doing something they shouldn't have.

She bid goodbye to Cathy, who just laughed heartily and told her to go easy on the drink in the city- and that she knew she'd be back before she knew it. Mai was crying loudly, tears streaming down her cheeks and her nose running in a most unladylike way, even though she and Akari weren't very close. She was clinging onto Chihaya's arm and practically drowning him in tears, and he was looking less than pleased about it- though he gave Akari the tiniest hint of a smile, and Akari was touched. It was rare for Chihaya to smile at anyone.

The boat was fast approaching. It was almost at the pier already. Akari looked around. Luke wasn't there. She was glad, but somehow she also felt... disappointed? It didn't matter. She had said she didn't want to see him.

Squinting her eyes against the bright glare of the morning sun reflected off the ocean, Akari could see a lone figure standing against the railings of the ferry. Someone slightly shorter than average, thin and well-postured. Someone with light brown hair not unlike her own, brushed down to perfection even in the wild sea breeze, save for an unruly cowlick that stuck obstinately from the top of his head.

"Akari! Hey!" Takeru raised a hand to wave to Akari, who immediately froze. She realised- she hadn't told anyone that Takeru would be taking over her farm. She turned to the other villagers uncertainly as the boat pulled into the harbour.

Takeru stumbled onto the pier as soon as the bridge between the boat's deck and dry land was lowered. His pale skin looked even paler than Akari remembered, and his face had a green tint to it. He staggered onto the beach and doubled over, holding his stomach- and promptly vomited all over the sand.

"Takeru!" Akari jogged over to him. She rubbed his back comfortingly as he emptied the contents of his stomach over the ground, the whole town watching in wide-eyed confusion.

Takeru smiled up at Akari weakly. The he straightened up properly, and Akari noticed for the first time how much he had changed in the past two years. His hair was shorter, and his owl-rimmed glasses had obviously been replaced with contact lenses. His once-skinny limbs and his chest had developed slight muscle. Akari couldn't help but smile. Takeru had grown up a lot.

She pulled him into an embrace, almost crying. "Thanks for this, Tak," she whispered. He hugged her back, lifting her off her feet and spinning her around. Akari laughed. "Hey, don't! You'll make yourself sick again."

"It's good to see you, Akari." Takeru grinned, trying in vain to flatten his disobedient lock of hair. He'd always had a habit of doing that. "It's been, what, two, three years?"

"About that, yeah," Akari smiled. "You've changed!"

"I have?" Takeru raised his eyebrows, bewildered. He looked down at himself as if he would be able to see the apparent changes for himself.

"Yes, you have. You're gorgeous! I bet the girls can't keep their hands off you, right?" Akari teased, nudging him with her elbow. "Or have you already found your 'special someone'?"

Takeru went bright red. "A-Akari! Please don't tease me like that..." He rubbed the back of his neck worriedly, and Akari giggled. The observing townsfolk were forgotten, until Anise stepped over and touched Akari's shoulder.

"Akari," she asked. "Who is this?"

Akari's eyes widened in surprise, suddenly remembering her other friends. Taking Takeru's hand in hers and giving it a reassuring squeeze, she turned to face the town.

"Everyone," she announced. "This is Takeru."

The puzzled silence that had descended upon the town was broken by a loud squeal from Mai.

"So_ this _ is why you're leaving, Akari?" She cried excitedly, cupping her hands together. "You have a _boyfriend? _Why didn't you tell us?"

"Boyfriend? No. No!" Akari shook her head, appalled. "Takeru is my _friend._ He's taking care of my farm while I'm away. I just wanted to ask you all to help him out- but don't worry! He's smart so he'll catch on quick, won't you Tak?"

"Um... yes, I think so..." He shrugged. He waved uncertainly to the other villagers, then looked away, beetroot red. Akari rolled her eyes exasperatedly. Takeru might've looked like a model- but he was still as much of a social retard as ever.

A loud foghorn blast almost knocked Akari off her feet, and she heard someone on the boat shouting that they would be departing in five minutes. The news ripped through Akari like a knife. She wasn't ready to leave yet. But she had to.

"I need to get on the boat," she whispered. Anise threw her arms around her, hugging her as if she would never let her go. She was quickly joined by Roomi, Mai, Pat and Juli- even Bo managed to dive into the pile. Akari laughed. She was going to miss Waffle Town more than she'd imagined. Everyone was so friendly. Everyone loved everyone else. They were family.

They were _Akari's _family.

She hauled her suitcases back into her arms and trotted up the pier and up to the boat. A crew member took her suitcases from her, and for once Akari did not insist on holding them herself. She stood on the bare deck, the wind whipping her hair into her face. It stuck to her cheeks- they were wet with tears. And then all too quickly, the boat sounded its horn and began to move.

Akari suddenly grasped the boat's railings, wanting to leap from the boat and into the sea and wade back to shore, to Waffle Town. She gathered herself just in time. Raising her hands above her head, she waved frantically.

"Goodbye!" She screamed desperately. "Goodbye! I love you all!"

The shore grew smaller and smaller as the boat drove away, but even through Akari's eyes, blurring with tears, she could see her friends waving to her, though the words they were shouting were swept away by the blustering wind. Eventually their features faded from view, and Akari could see, from where see stood on the deck, them leaving one by one. Eventually only one person remained. At such a distance, she couldn't see who it was.

But she didn't have to be able to see their face to know who it was.

--

**How sad! I apologise to all you who were hoping for a happy ending here! Don't worry, this is nowhere near the end, but some people were hoping for a confession from Luke here, I know it! But no- he has to work it out for himself first!**

**As from now, the story will be split into two sections. One set in the city with Akari, and the other in Waffle Town with Luke and Takeru. I'm also planning to introduce a bit of romance into Tak's life, so keep an eye out for that, too! It'll be interesting to hear who you'd like him to end up with.**

**Review please, and thank you!**


	18. A New Beginning

**I just got back from a holiday in Scarborough, and have been writing ever since! I go to Scarborough every year with my family, as we have a bungalow there- though unfortunately it's on course to fall off the cliff it sits on and into the sea in about ten years time!**

--

Takeru could only watch helplessly as the boat slipped into the distance, taking Akari with it. There had been so much he had wanted to ask her, about farming, about the town and the people, but the chance had never presented itself, and he didn't want to ask in front of so many people. Had to make a good first impression. Swallowing, he turned to find twenty pairs of eyes fixed on him. His face heated up, remembering. He realised it was a little too late for first impressions- he had just, after all, practically puked his guts out in front of everyone.

How humiliating.

A tall, fair-skinned woman with long dark hair held up with two plaits woven around her hairline gingerly approached him. She held out a delicate hand and smiled politely. Takeru stared at her stupidly for a moment before snapping to his senses and shaking her hand.

"I'm Anise," the woman greeted. She was smiling, but somehow it didn't reach her eyes. Her face was blotched and tear-stained. She was obviously a close friend of Akari's. "Welcome to Waffle Town. Don't worry; I'm sure you settle right in."

"Th-Thank you," Takeru smiled. At Anise's acceptance, the ice he had felt radiating off the town had suddenly melted away, and other villagers began to introduce themselves. He couldn't help but note how most of the villagers were far older than he, and how different the people were from those in the city. In the city it was all rush and fuss, and if you couldn't keep up that was your problem, nobody was going to spare you a thought. But here, half the villagers were already treating him like some long-lost relative. It was so alien.

A blonde woman slapped him on the back quite roughly and practically yelled out her name- Cathy- and informed him that she ran the bar in town. She was joined by a red-headed man built like a steamroller who slapped him in a similar fashion, very nearly knocking him off his feet. It wasn't until later that Takeru got his name from Doctor Won- Ose.

The only people Takeru felt he might possibly be able to relate to were the mayor and his son, Gil. Each shook his politely by the hand- though the mayor a little more enthusiastically than he was used to. He then went on to brag about the island, and how it was improving every day, and how proud he was that his son was following in his footsteps. Gil rolled his eyes and muttered something about his father being 'so embarrassing' and Takeru grinned sympathetically at him.

"I'm Tao," A white-headed man, stood beside a smiling woman, raised a hand in a casual wave. He snaked his arm around the waist of the girl beside him and pulled her closer to him. "And she's Leena."

"Pleased to meet you," said Leena, bowing her head politely. She and Tao smiled at each other, and she leaned her head against his shoulder.

"We're married," Tao explained.

Takeru raised his eyebrows in surprise. They looked so young- far too young to be married. His parents hadn't married until his mother was thirty four, and his father well into his forties. But, looking around, he saw a young woman who had her arm linked with a man, and another two people about his age stood hand-in-hand. At first Takeru thought it was two girls, but as they approached him, he realised that that purple-haired one in the red ruffles was actually a male.

The flamboyant-looking man introduced himself with obvious confidence, whilst the two girls beside him hung back, one pink-cheeked and smiling shyly; and the other with a scowl wrinkling her nose. The man, names Juli, had to introduce them himself.

The shy woman in the clothes so fuzzy they made Takeru feel itchy just by looking at them was called Kotomi, and the scowling girl in the lacy white dress and purple ponytails was Roomi.

"It's nice to meet you..." Takeru said. Roomi's eyebrows furrowed further as Takeru attempted a smile at her.

"You're taking over Akari's job, right?" She said loudly. "_You're_ going to be a farmer?" She raised an eyebrow, looking sceptically at him. Takeru frowned.

"Well, yes, I don't see why not," he answered.

Roomi stuck her snub-nose in the air, huffing haughtily and making her flowered ponytails bounce. "Well, good, because you already smell like one!" She snapped, and she turned on her heel and stomped away, leaving Takeru more than a little shocked.

"Roomi! Wait, oh... oh dear..." Kotomi raised her hand in protest to her sister's sudden display of rudeness. She turned to Takeru, blushing on behalf of her sister. "P-Please don't mind her... She's always like this with new people... She was fond of Akari, y-you see..."

Takeru nodded in understanding, though he couldn't help but feel a little annoyed at the unfairness of the situation. _He _wasn't the reason Akari had left, and yet Roomi seemed to be blaming him for it. He wondered how many other people felt the same way.

One by one, people began to spread out and leave the beach. Takeru looked around helplessly, unsure of where to go or what to do. Eventually there was hardly anyone left on the beach except for him and two or three other people. One man, he realised, had been standing in the same place ever since Akari had gotten on the boat, staring blankly out over the ocean. The tide was coming in, and there was water lapping around his ankles, but he either didn't notice or didn't care. Takeru contemplated going over there and talking to him- he seemed sad, so sad. But even if he were to, he wouldn't have any idea where to start.

Then Anise wandered over and took him by the arm. "Come with me," she said. "I'll show you around."

--

Akari wandered dizzily down the street, dragging her suitcases behind her. It was loud, it was much too loud. Cars grumbled and screeched left and right, and the air buzzed with the voices of the endless swarms of people. Akari's head was throbbing, and her ears were ringing, and her throat burned every time she took in another lungful of the smoke-filled air.

She stumbled as a broad-shouldered man crashed into her from behind, not even offering a 'sorry' before he quickly marched away and melted into the crowd. Akari sighed and bent down to pick up her bags, the contents of them spilled over the chewing-gum riddled ground. People tripped over her as they passed tutting and sighing at her. Nobody offered to help, or even bothered to walk around her, just striding right over her head. So different from Waffle Town.

Akari sighed and straightened up. She had barely spent five minutes in the city and already she was reminiscing. That would not do. She stuffed the remainders of her hamburger into her mouth, chewing obstinately, trying to focus solely on the food before her- though the lettuce was limp and the meat tasted like cardboard in her mouth.

Walking past a shop window, she caught her reflection in the glass. Her hair was unkempt and there were dark circles around her eyes, but she was still the same sad, skinny Akari. Her clothes were still old and scruffy and smelled of farm. Her arms and legs still resembled sticks, and her hands and feet still looked too big for her body. She still looked like _Akari._

But she didn't want to be Akari anymore.

Blinking out of her trance, her gaze raised up to see the plaque that adorned the shop. Laruma's Hair Salon. Akari's feet moved on their own, and she before she knew it she was inside the salon and sitting down on one of the big black chairs.

"What'll it be, then?" A cheerful-looking woman who smelled of hair-spray tottered over to her with a comb and pair of scissors. "How much should I take off?" She asked, measuring Akari's shoulder-length hair with her fingers.

Akari blinked at her reflection in the mirror. Then she whispered, "All of it."

The hairdresser laughed incredulously. "Excuse me?" She cried, obviously not taking her seriously.

"Cut it all off," Akari repeated.

"What, _all_ of it?" The hair-dresser said questioningly. Akari nodded, and she sighed, raising her eyebrows. "Well, okay," she said. "But don't blame me if you change your mind afterwards."

Akari sat perfectly still, staring straight ahead as the scissors flashed around her head and chestnut brown hair fell to the ground in feathery locks. The hairdresser cut it to just below her ears.

"More," Akari said quietly.

The hairdresser frowned, and the scissors starting snipping again, until her hair rode above her ears.

"More," Akari ordered.

Snip, snip, snip.

"_More."_

"Hey, that's enough," the hairdresser said warily, holding up her hands in protest. There was little more than two centimetres of hair left masking Akari's head. "You'll regret it later. People always do." And she hooked her scissors back onto her apron. "That'll be five hundred gold. You can pay at the counter."

Akari stayed sat stiffly in the black chair, staring at herself as the hairdresser began tending to another customer. Raising her hand, she ran her palm over her scalp, feeling the spiky remains of her hair. She sighed sadly. It hadn't worked. She still looked like Akari- only now it looked as if a cow had been grazing on her head. She thought of her own cows, April, May and June, mooing in confusion as to who the strange boy feeding them was, and where she, Akari, had gone. Her eyes began to sting and prickle with tears.

Akari stood up and gathered up her suitcases. Head bowed, she marched hurriedly towards the door and out of the shop. She heard the hairdresser shouting after her, "Hey, you have to pay for that!" Akari ignored her. She walked out into the street.

And then she ran.

--

Her mother didn't recognise her at first. She had just stood there in the doorway of their old, mouldy apartment, staring. Akari supposed she had changed a lot in the two years she had been away, and her new haircut probably didn't help. Her mum had changed a lot too, and for the worse. She now looked older than ever, wrinkles deep-set in her greying face. Their apartment looked- and smelled- worse for wear, too.

After a moment of initial shock and recognition, Akari had found herself in her mother's arms and breathing in the scent of stale coffee and bath salts.

"Akari, my little girl," her mother cried happily. "You came back for your birthday?"

Akari blinked in bewilderment, before realising that it was indeed her birthday in a week's time, and she would be twenty-three. She thought of Luke, barely nineteen years old. Three, four years... It was a big age difference.

"I missed you," her mum breathed, releasing her from her arms. "Oh, look at you! Your _hair!_ I knew that farming was a bad idea- if you don't mind me saying so. But you look so _different,_ Akari! Oh, I missed you..."

Akari smiled sadly. "I missed you too, mum."

"How long are you planning on staying?" Her mum asked. Akari shrugged, and her face lit up. "Oh, Akari! You're going back to university? Oh I _knew _you'd see sense! You had so much _potential_ as a vet, sweetheart."

"No, no, Mum..." Akari raised her hands, then sighed. "My farm, I'm still... I mean... Yes. Yes, I... I'll go back to university." She could still do it. She could still be a vet. It was her dream, after all.

"Oh, Akari, I'm so proud of you..." her mum gushed. "Does... Does your dad know you're back in the city?" Akari shook her head. "Then you ought to phone him. Come on, come inside- we have so much to catch up on!"

Akari let her mother usher her inside and make a fuss of her. She drank her bitter tea and nibbled her crumbly, out-of-date biscuits, smiling with her mouth but not with her eyes. And then she phoned her head lecturer at the university to tell him she would be seeing him soon.

--

**Can you guess who Takeru will be paired with yet? You know, I had a review from a friend of mine saying that she would like him to be with Gil! It won't happen, because I already have the story figured out in my head, but now I'm thinking 'Damn, that would've been cute, too!'**

**As you can probably tell, Akari's trying to change herself to block out who she was in Waffle Town. She'll be changing her style too- but don't worry, she's not going to turn emo or anything like that! **


	19. What's Inside

**Oh my! I really wasn't expecting to have this chapter written so soon! But once I started writing, I couldn't stop! I sacrificed exam revision for this... So please, enjoy!**

--

Takeru flopped don on Akari's bed, sighing in exhaustion. His body sank into the straw mattress so he could feel the wooden bed frame pushing uncomfortably against his back. He turned onto his side but it didn't help. Groaning, he sat up and looked around the room in despair. Akari's house was just so _different _from what he was used to. She didn't have separate rooms. The bed was barely five feet away from the kitchen, and the shelves, bookcase, clothes chest and table were all so crushed together it was a wonder how Akari had made use of any of them. The only other room in the house was the bathroom, which was about the size of a cupboard.

Takeru rolled off the bed and onto the floor, where he crawled across to his suitcases and opened them. He set about sorting his clothes into coded stacks as he usually did, but then he realised that Akari only had a clothes _chest_ and not a set of drawers he stopped. He dragged himself across the floorboards and opened the chest. Then he tipped the entire contents of his suitcase into it. It killed him to do it- he had spent forever neatly folding and packing his clothes- but he was so tired he couldn't bring himself to unpack properly.

He didn't think he had ever been in more pain in his life. Every muscle in his body was screaming at him, and whenever he tried to walk or move a sharp dagger of pain would stab through him and have him collapsed on his knees again. He had only planned to spend about an hour working on the farm that first day- but after following the list of instructions Akari had left him, he found the minutes began to add up and before he knew it he had been grafting for over three hours. Dirt coated his hands and clothes, and a sheen of sweat sheeted his skin, and he had never felt more _filthy_ in his life. Had he been at home, he would have taken a long, hot bath and probably fell into bed.

Akari didn't have a bath- just a dingy little shower; and her bed was small and hard and filled with hay.

Stumbling into the cramped bathroom, Takeru knelt down and emptied he contents of his stomach into the toilet. Sniffing, he shakily got to his feet and bent over the sink, washing his mouth out thoroughly. Even the water tasted different.

He buried his face in his hands, rubbing cold water over his face. He had only been in Waffle Town a day and already he was falling apart. Most of the townsfolk had been very kind and welcoming, but the _work..._ Takeru couldn't help the fact that he wasn't used to it. He was an educated, upper-class art student, son of one of the most successful men in the county, born with a jewel-encrusted, silver spoon in his mouth. He'd never had to do a shred of manual labour in his life. There was physical education at school, but that was it. He couldn't compare to the experience of the villagers'.

He sniffed and rubbed his eyes, feeling very sorry for himself indeed. God, he was pathetic. What use was there in crying? This was why everyone used to bully him in school!

Takeru was all set to crawl into bed and have a good cry under the covers, but his plans were shattered by a knock at the door. He quickly dabbed at his eyes and wiped his nose. Checking his reflection in the mirror to make sure his eyes weren't red, he limped over the door and struggled with the lock before managing to get it open.

He was met with a huge cardboard box sealed with brown sticky tape hovering on his doorstep. Peeking over the top of it was a mass of violet curls and two sharp blue eyes, glaring at him.

"Granny told me to give you this," Roomi said brusquely, shaking the box. "Don't ask me what's in it. A lot of it's just junk, though I think there's some extra blankets in there. You could put them on your bed, I dunno. Akari was always saying her bed was rubbish."

"Oh... Th-thank you," Takeru said, surprised.

Roomi scowled over the top of the box. "They're not from _me, _stupid. I just got stuck with delivering them to you, since my sister is on date with some cross-dresser," she snapped. "It's my grandma- she really likes you, you know." She didn't look to happy about it, either.

"Oh, well, tell her I said thank you, would you Miss?" Takeru asked politely. Roomi rolled her eyes, but nodded.

Then she shook the box again, more roughly this time, and its contents rattled. "_Well?"_ She said, pulling a face in annoyance. "Aren't you going to take it?"

"Oh, right! I'm sorry, I didn't realise..." Takeru babbled on incessantly, and he steadied himself on his aching legs before stepping forward and taking hold of the cardboard box.

Over the top of the box, Roomi raised an eyebrow at him, and he smiled nervously at her. His smile faded to a look of confusion, however, as she failed to relinquish her hold on the box. Roomi sighed in exasperation and nodded downwards. Takeru frowned and peered down around the side of the box. Then he got it.

He had placed his hands on top of hers.

Takeru could feel his face going red. He hadn't realised his mistake- he was still wearing the thick gardening gloves Akari had left him, and he had barely been able to feel Roomi's small, delicate hands under his. He snatched his hands away as quickly as he could. At the same time, Roomi attempted to move her hands from beneath Takeru's, and the box fell to the ground.

As it hit the step, the cardboard split and sent the contents spilling over the ground. Roomi almost screamed in frustration, but instead let out an angry sigh. Takeru's face closely resembled a tomato in colour. So embarrassing!

Stuttering apologies, he bent down (ignoring his shrieking muscles) and began to hurriedly pick up the contents of the box- some of which appeared to be plates, which had inevitably smashed. Roomi begrudgingly helped him.

"I'm so sorry; I'm _so,_ so sorry!" He spluttered, his face burning even brighter as he failed to put the items away properly so that they did not fit into the box. He quickly unpacked them and started again.

"Oh, give them _here!" _ Roomi snapped, snatching the box away from him.

Takeru slowly stood up. He could only watch awkwardly as Roomi carefully sorted out the shattered pieces of china from the in-tact objects and slotted them into place in the box.

"I really am very sorry, Miss," Takeru repeated, bowing his head.

"Oh, don't worry; its _fine._ It was my fault," Roomi hissed through gritted teeth, and Takeru got a funny feeling that she wasn't being _entirely_ truthful with him. She thrust the box into his unresisting arms. "Here," She said. "Don't drop them this time. Though you've already broken everything valuable in there anyway."

Takeru lowered his eyes. Then he looked back up. Roomi was already halfway down the path the lead out of the farm.

"Um!" Takeru raised a hand as if to call her back. It was only _after _ he'd called out to her that he realised he had no _reason _to. Perhaps it was his dislike on ending conversations on a negative note. "E-Excuse me, Miss!"

Roomi turned, one pointy hand on her hip, her head tilted inquisitively. "What?" She demanded rudely.

"Um... Would you... like to come in? I-I could make you a tea or a coffee or... what do you like?" Takeru asked nervously.

Roomi raised one eyebrow and her pink lips turned up into a smirk of disdain. She scanned him quizzically with her big blues eyes, looking at him the same way she would a cockroach or some other disgusting creature. Takeru ducked his head even further, shrinking into himself like a tortoise.

"With _you?"_ She snorted in mock amusement. "You have _got_ to be joking."

And then she turned on her heel and skipped merrily away, leaving Takeru staring helplessly after her. Shakily, he backed into his house and set the box on the floor. He shut the door and leaned his forehead against it.

And then he really did cry.

--

Dai stared in defeat at the rapidly cooling plate of mashed potatoes and gravy that sat opposite him on the table. Luke had said he wasn't hungry, and that worried Dai a lot. Luke was _always _hungry.

He had been forced to leave his son on the beach when Akari had left that morning. No matter how hard he and Bo had tried, Luke had refused to pay them any attention. Perhaps he didn't even notice them, stood right beside him, talking. He had just continued staring despondently into the distance, watching the boat that Akari had boarded fade into a speck on the horizon. He hadn't moved, not even when Dai had grabbed his arm and tried to forcibly drag him away. He just stood there stiffly, rooted to the spot. As if he was dreaming.

"Luke?" Dai shouted, turning his head towards the kitchen door. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," came the muffled reply from upstairs. Dai sighed. Luke had been in his room ever since he came back home about two hours ago. Dai got the feeling he had been standing on the beach all morning before then.

Dai shook his head in despair. He stood up and, leaving his dinner untouched on the table, trudged upstairs to his son's room, where he knocked on the door.

"You have to eat, Luke," he said.

"I said I wasn't hungry," Luke's voice called out. "Just leave me _alone,_ Dad."

Dai sighed. Who did Luke think he was fooling? He opened the door. The room was dark- the light was off and the curtains were drawn. Luke was lying on his bed, staring up unblinking at the ceiling.

"Luke, this is about Akari, isn't it." Dai said, not even bothering to state it as a question. Luke didn't reply. Sighing, Dai walked into the dark room and sat on the end of the bed. "She'll be back. She said she would be back," he told Luke reassuringly.

"She won't come back," Luke whispered, more to himself than to Dai.

Dai blinked. "Well, of course she will! What makes you think that? It's not as if-"

"No, Dad! You just don't get it, do you? It's _my _fault. Akari's gone because of _me,"_ Luke snapped, sitting up and facing his father. His voiced faded to a whisper. "She loved me, Dad. Ever since she came here, she... loved me. And I never even... I never even noticed! How do you think she felt about that, Dad?" His voice was shaking and Dai was worried he might start crying. He didn't, of course. Those tears had dried up long ago.

Dai looked away from his son, shamefaced. "I knew that, Luke. I knew that she loved you."

Luke's eyes widened. "Why... Why didn't you tell me?" He said, his voice impossibly quiet.

"It wasn't mine to tell, son," Dai began. "We could all see how she felt, but-"

"Ex... Excuse me?" Luke said. "You mean... H-How many people knew? How long? How long have you known?"

Dai sighed. He turned and placed his hands over his son's comfortingly. "Does that really matter?" He asked, almost pleading Luke not to make him answer. "Did she tell you herself?"

Luke smiled half-heartedly. "Yeah, she... pretty much had so scream it at me before I realised. She knocked some sense into me- obviously." He turned his head to show his swollen lip. He still hadn't wiped the blood away.

Dai smiled in forced amusement. "That does sound like something she would do," he said quietly, nodding, and Luke smiled sadly at him.

"I'm sorry, Dad," he murmured.

Dai frowned. "What for?"

"For being so stupid. For being so clumsy and hopeless. I'm sorry," Luke said, he head bowed, eyes fixed on his lap. "And... I'm sorry I couldn't make you as proud as I should have. I'm sorry."

Dai stared at his son, in shock. Was that what he really thought? "Luke... Oh, son," he whispered, shaking his head. How long had Luke held on to this idea that he was just a big disappointment? A let-down. A _mistake._ Dai couldn't stand it. Without thinking, he raised his arms and pulled Luke into a hug. He felt Luke stiffen for a second, surprised; but slowly he relaxed against him.

Dai couldn't remember the last time he had hugged his son. He couldn't remember the last time he had had a conversation with him that hadn't led to Luke being scolded or chastised. He couldn't remember the last time he had told him he was proud of him.

Looking back, it was probably long before his wife- Luke's mother- had died. That was- fourteen, fifteen years? It was a long time. Too long.

"Luke, listen, I-"

"Its okay, Dad," Luke interrupted, pulling away and flashing a wide grin that didn't reach his eyes. "I'm fine. Really." He paused. "Dad... about Akari... I think I'd like to write to her."

Dai nodded. "I think that would be a good idea. But... Do you know where she went? Her new address..." He trailed off questioningly. "Do you know?"

Luke's face fell. "No, she didn't tell me," he mumbled. Then he got an idea. "But... That new guy, he's Akari's friend right? Do you think he'd know where she went?"

Dai pondered this. "Perhaps," he said. "Either way, he seems like a nice boy. I don't think he'd hide it from you if he did know."

Luke grinned- properly this time. "Okay!" He declared. "I'm gonna go and see him now! I'll get Akari's new address and write to her, no problem! Thanks, Dad," he smiled. "I'll see you later!"

And with that he leapt off the bed and dashed out of the room, leaving Dai shaking his head in amusement. He listened as the staircase rattled as Luke sprinted down the steps, and then a series of thuds as he obviously slipped and fell down the last few. Then there was a loud bang. Dai grimaced.

"It's _pull!"_

--

Luke hammered on Akari's- no, _Takeru's _door for the fifth time. He knew the boy was in there; what could he be _doing?_ It wasn't as if Akari's house was the biggest place on earth, so he definitely didn't have far to travel to reach the door.

Finally, the door opened to reveal Takeru practically hanging off it, his legs completely limp. There were dark red circles around his eyes.

"Hi," Luke greeted politely. He held out his hand, for Takeru to shake, but quickly pulled it away as he realised that Takeru's hand were busy supporting the weight of his body. Takeru smiled at him gratefully.

"Hello," Takeru said, smiling weakly. "Are you in need of something, sir?"

Luke raised an eyebrow as smirked in amusement. "_Sir? _What's with that?" He laughed, and Takeru blushed. Luke scratched his nose sheepishly. "Nah, you can just call me Luke, right? And you're Takeru?"

"Y-Yes, that is correct," Takeru said unsurely.

Luke laughed again. Then he composed himself and stood up straight. "So, um, hey, I was wondering... You're Akari's friend, right?" Takeru nodded. Luke continued, "So, since she's gonna be away for a while, I was wondering if you could give me her address."

Takeru's eyes widened and he looked away.

Luke frowned. "Do you _know_ her address?"

Takeru nodded.

"Can you _tell_ me?"

Takeru shook his head.

Luke grew indignant. "Well, why not?" He demanded, folding his arms.

Takeru backed away a little, seizing up even more as he looked at Luke with anxious eyes. "I-I'm sorry, really I am," he stuttered. "I-It's just... Akari told me not to tell anyone. She said it was very important that I kept it a secret. I'm very sorry..." He bowed his head apologetically.

And, looking at Takeru, Luke was suddenly filled with anger. This man, this _boy_ was taking over Akari's farm. Living in Akari's house. Sleeping in Akari's bed. And look at him- he had been living the country life for a day and he was already broken. He was tall, taller than Akari, and well-built, but he didn't look _strong._ He didn't look _capable._ He hadn't the slightest clue about farming. Not like Akari.

And yet he was here, in short, to _replace _her. It wasn't right. He couldn't replace Akari. No-one could ever replace Akari. And Luke resented him for it. He wanted to hurt him. To hurt him like _he_ was hurting.

"Akari asked you to come here, didn't she? She asked you to take care of her farm," Luke said flatly.

"Y-Yes, she requested me to do so... as a friend... I felt I couldn't refuse-" Takeru began, but Luke interrupted.

"Friend!" He snorted. "What sort of a friend are you? When did you last speak to her? I bet you couldn't even remember what she looked like." Not like him. He hadn't spent a day away from her over the years Akari had spent in Waffle Town. That's who they _were_. Luke and Akari. Not Takeru and Akari. That wasn't how it was supposed to be.

"She trusted you to take care of her farm, but you can't even do that right," Luke went on. "Look at you, you're falling apart!"

Takeru looked at Luke as if he'd just punched him in the stomach. "I... I... I'm doing my best," he whispered, blinking his huge, hazel eyes. Luke frowned at the red rings that circled them

"You've been crying," he stated.

Takeru flinched visibly. "I... I have not!" He protested feebly- but there were tears in his eyes even as he spoke and his lower lip was trembling. He bit down on it in a desperate attempt to stop it.

Luke smiled triumphantly. "You have. And you're nearly crying now."

"I-I'm _not!"_ Takeru squeaked- though he was, and he knew it, and Luke knew it.

Luke raised his eyebrows in a cruel smirk, the satisfaction of being able to hurt someone like this stamping down on his conscience. Takeru steadied his shaking legs, sniffed weakly- and burst into tears.

Luke was taken aback. He hadn't been expecting Takeru to _really_ cry. But here he was, a full grown man bawling his eyes out, tears spilling down his cheeks like Niagara Falls. Luke stared in shock at what he had done. And then it hit him. Guilt. Slamming into him like a train, twisting his insides painfully. How could he have said such horrible things? It was like it wasn't really him, like he had been possessed by some hateful monster. He had said things he'd never thought he was capable of saying.

He couldn't bear that he'd somehow let his guard down and allowed his selfish side to take over.

"I'm so sorry!" He gasped, clamping a hand over his mouth as if he could pull back all the cruel words and make it so that he'd never said them. He stepped up to Takeru, who was howling. "I didn't mean all that, I don't know what happened, I'm not like that, really, I'm not. I'm so sorry."

Takeru shook his head, wiping furiously at his eyes. "It-it's all right, it's me. I always cry, really it's quite... ridiculous..." he said between sobs. "I know... You must have been very good friends with Akari. I saw you at the beach... You cared for her?"

Luke licked his lips worriedly. "Something like that," he said. He placed his hands on Takeru's shoulders. "Hey, I'm really, really sorry. I don't expect you to forgive me or anything, but just so you know, I'm really sorry."

Takeru waved him away. "I'm just oversensitive," he assured- then started wailing all over again. Luke shuffled awkwardly on the spot, looking around nervously, worrying about what would happen if someone happened to see them like this.

"It-it's not _you,"_ Takeru wept helplessly. "It's just that when I st-start crying, I can't st... st... stop!" And he hid his face in his hands in embarrassment. Luke felt sorry for him. He laid a hand on Takeru's head, ruffling his feathery hair. Takeru's sobs died down to small whimpers as he looked up at Luke in bewilderment.

"Hey, don't worry about it, 'kay?" Luke grinned. "Everyone gets homesick, right? And you can't be good at everything right away. You should have seen Akari when _she _first started- she looked like a zombie! You'll get used to it." And he gave Takeru a 'thumbs up' sign.

Takeru mopped at his eyes with his sleeve. "Re... Really?"

"Yeah, no problem! Tell you what, you drop by the carpenter's tomorrow and I'll show you how to get started. Okay?" Luke offered in a sudden act of charity spurred on by the guilt for his earlier words.

Takeru wiped his nose, sniffing. His eyes were redder than ever and the tips of his ears were flaming- but at least the tears had stopped. "Than... Thank you," he stuttered, his voice still shaky. "I'll do that."

"Great! So you don't have to cry any more, okay?" Luke said, and Takeru managed a smile. Luke turned and hopped off the doorstep and jogged down the path. He turned and waved to Takeru. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

And he couldn't help but smile pityingly as he noticed that Takeru had started crying again.

--

"Did you get her address?" Dai asked when his son returned. Luke didn't reply. He didn't have to. The look on his face was enough.

--

**Ohh! An Akari-less chapter appears! You'll see what she's up to next chapter,**

**Yeah, Takeru cries... a lot. But don't worry; he won't be like this for the whole story. I like the idea of him toughening up over the course of his time in Waffle Town.**

**Luke's nasty side made an appearance here, which I actually quite like. Everyone has that little bit of darkness inside, no matter how they appear on the surface. I think it humanizes him a little more.**

**Thanks for reading! And please review- I love to hear people's opinions on my work, whatever those opinions might be!**


	20. Losing It

Akari sighed as she wandered dazedly down the busy city street. She tugged consciously at her skirt. Though it was knee-length, she still felt horribly exposed as the cool breeze bit at her legs. Plus her legs were so skinny and shapeless that she was sure she must have looked about twelve years old.

She worried that people would think she was a cross-dresser, as her hair was now so short it resembled a boy's, and her face wasn't particularly feminine-looking. But she couldn't shake off the overwhelming urge she felt to change herself, and had taken to wearing her mother's old, flowery skirts and itchy cardigans.

She had been back at university for a week now, and she had been soaring ahead of the rest of her class. It was amazing- before she left for Waffle Town, she had floundered hopelessly in the vast ocean of veterinary tactics. But now it was like someone had forced a pair of strong spectacles on her nose and she could see properly for the first time. She found the practical work especially simple. Other students asked how she could identify what was bothering the animal so easily.

Akari didn't understand it. All she had done was listen to the animal, like she had with her cows, sheep and dog back on her farm. Just because they couldn't talk didn't mean that they didn't have a voice. The others were arrogant to believe that the animals weren't intelligent enough to know what was hurting them- at least that's how Akari saw it. But, she realized, she was like that once, too. Two years ago, she hadn't been listening to her patients. And so, she had failed.

But her experience in Waffle Town had done her good, and taught her a lot, and now she could succeed. She could become a vet, she told herself. And for the first time, she actually believed it.

But.

She couldn't get excited about veterinary work like she used to. With every note she scribbled down in her text book, her head drooped a little lower, and eventually she was almost fast asleep on her desk. She realized- _she_ was _bored_ with _university._

She thought back to Season Farm, and her livestock and her house and her crops. The work had been gruelling and hard, and her house had been small and was draughty in the winter and stank of rotting wood in the summer- but she had never been bored. She had always relished every day equally.

She sighed again. She had been doing a lot of that the past week. Had she really resigned herself to a life of manual labour so willingly? No, she hadn't lost her fire for veterinary work. It was just that she had left it alone for so long that it had died down to a tiny wisp of a flame. All she had to do was add a little firewood and it would be roaring again.

At least, she hoped it would.

--

Luke couldn't help but smile as he heard the knock on the carpentry door that had become like clockwork the past week.

"Come in!" He called, and moment later Takeru had entered the shop and closed the door carefully behind him. Luke wondered why he didn't just let it swing shut on its own. He wondered why he knocked first. Nobody ever knocked before coming in, not even those who barely visited the carpentry.

"Hey, Tak, how's it going?" Luke asked.

Takeru smiled weakly. "It's... all right, thank you," he managed eventually. His face was white as a sheet and his eyes had dark circles surrounding them and he was doubled over with pain- but it was a big improvement on what he had been. The first two days he had trailed into the carpentry a sodden mess, tears streaming down his face. The next few days he hadn't been much better- on the third day he'd actually _fainted_ with exhaustion. Luckily, Anise had been available to take care of Season farm on that day.

Takeru himself had said he was just glad his nausea had subsided. He had a weak stomach and he had spent the first three days bent over the toilet regurgitating his past meals. It had finally subsided by the fourth day, but Takeru suspected this was only because he had nothing left in his stomach for him to throw up.

"You seriously look like death, man! You ought to take a break," Luke said with concern, and Takeru looked pained.

"I _can't," _he said morosely. "There's so much work to do... I'm aching all over. How did Akari cope?"

Luke grinned in bewilderment. "What do you mean? Akari got all her farm work done by at noon, at most!" He sighed a little sadly. "She was always on the go like that."

Takeru was gaping like a fish in a very undignified manner. "That... That's impossible! There's no way I'll.... Look, listen. When Akari and I were children, she was always getting herself into scrapes. Getting stuck in trees and starting fights with people bigger than her. _I_ had to be the voice of reason- you know, stop her from hurting herself. I didn't get the chance to do any of that wild, adventurous stuff. Do you see what I'm saying?"

Luke smiled and began to nod, but then his smile twisted into a squint of confusion and his nod morphed into a brisk shake of the head.

Takeru sighed. "Well, what I'm trying to say is... Akari's strong. I'm not. _She_ might have been able to deal with all this _excruciating _work, but _I _can't. In truth, I've never... I've never really _had _to do any work before," he admitted shamefully.

Luke rolled his eyes. "I _told_ you, you can't expect to catch on right away. Akari didn't. And she wasn't _that _strong when she started out, either," Luke said. He smiled inwardly, remembering how dogged and grumpy Akari had looked those first few weeks. She looked like she would snap at an angel.

"No, you don't understand," Takeru insisted. "I meant _emotionally_ strong. In all the years I've known Akari, I've never even seen her cry once. I cry least once a month..."

Luke averted his eyes. How long had Takeru known Akari? Ten, fifteen years? He's never seen her cry once. And yet, Luke had reduced her to tears with just a few little words. She must really have loved him, for him to drag such emotions out of her tough exterior.

He bit his lip. "Hey, Takeru," he piped up. Takeru looked over at him, and he looked away, suddenly embarrassed. "I know I've asked you think already... but can you _really _not give me Akari's address? I promise I wouldn't tell anyone."

Takeru's smile faded from his face. "I'm sorry, I'm _sorry_," he said sincerely. "But you know I can't. She made me swear I wouldn't, and a promise is a promise. I don't like to break my word, especially not to Akari. I hope you understand."

Luke sighed and nodded. He was disappointed, even though Takeru gave him the exact answer he'd expected. "Yeah, I understand. No problem."

There was a sudden jingle of a bell as the carpentry door swung open. Roomi, small and dainty, marched into the shop as ungracefully as a bulldog; followed by Juli, who entered with his usual saunter. Roomi settled her hands on her hips and turned to Luke, her face set with determination.

"Luke!" She declared loudly, getting right down to business. "Where's that spinning wheel I ordered?"

Luke grinned and rubbed that back of his head sheepishly. "It's just at the back of the workshop, Roomi. Geez; no need to yell at me!" He pulled a face of mock sadness and clutched his chest, miming heartbreak.

"Oh, ha ha!" Roomi snorted- though she began to smile. "Come on, chop chop! My sister needs that wheel."

"I'm going, I'm going!" Luke said impatiently, disappearing into the back of the workshop for a moment, then returning with the spinning wheel. He pushed it toward Roomi, a look of triumph on his face. "Here."

"Not _me,"_ Roomi said. "Mr Fancy-man here!" She jerked a finger in Juli's direction.

Juli 'hmph'-ed, flicking a lock of purple hair out of his eyes with a perfectly manicured finger. "Is it so wrong for a man to appreciate his own beauty?" He asked jokingly, and Roomi pretended to hit him on the head. He ducked and put his arm around her. "Be nice, little sister."

"Don't you 'little sister' me!" Roomi said- but she was smiling, and she leaned her head against Juli's shoulder.

Luke shook his head in disbelief. "Well, I never thought I'd see the day when _you_ two were getting along!" He laughed.

Juli grinned. "She has to like me- I'm her future brother-in-law!" He said. Roomi scowled at him playfully.

"Not if I can help it!"

Juli took the heavier side of the spinning wheel and began to carrying it towards the door. Roomi was holding the lighter end, though she still huffed and puffed a bit with the effort of holding the large wooden structure up with her delicate arms.

"Um..." Takeru walked over to them. "Should I get that?" He asked Roomi, noticing her struggling.

Roomi looked at him cryptically for a moment, eyes narrowed, thinking it over. Then "Yeah," she said, and thrust the end of the spinning wheel at him so violently that it was wrenched out of Juli's grip. Unable to bear the entire weight of the structure, Takeru ended up falling on his backside with an unceremonious 'oof!'.

Roomi raised an eyebrow and smirked triumphantly at him. Then she dragged the spinning wheel back upright and took a hold of the lighter end. She nodded at Juli, gesturing him to pick up the other side.

Juli laughed as he went to pick up the tool. He ruffled Takeru's hair fondly. "Oh, she likes you, kid!" He said teasingly, to which Roomi uttered a blunt "Quiet, you." Juli mimed zipping his lip, but winked at Takeru and Luke when Roomi wasn't looking. Together, they dragged the wheel out of the shop.

Takeru scrambled to his feet and flattened his ruffled hair back down. He was bright red in the face. "She really hates me, doesn't she?" He said dejectedly.

Luke frowned. "Who, Roomi? Nah, she's always like that with new people. She doesn't trust 'em. She was the same with Akari- but now they're practically best friends. Or at least, they were," he said, his cheerful tone fading towards the end of his sentence.

"Oh. I see," Takeru said. He recalled that somebody else had told him the same thing just after he'd met her. "So... is there any way I can get her to be a little nicer to me?"

Luke shrugged. "I dunno. Just talk to her a lot, she'll warm up to you," he said. "I know she can be selfish and kind of mean sometimes, but she's actually pretty nice. At least, that's what Akari always used to say."

Takeru began to smile. "You liked Akari a lot, didn't you?" He said. "You never stop talking about her."

"R-Really?" Luke felt the heat rushing up his neck and erupting across his cheeks, and he turned away quickly so that Takeru couldn't see that he was blushing. "I hadn't noticed. I guess it's just one of those things, ha, ha, ha!"

Takeru's voice softened. "Were you two... were you lovers?"

"Ow!" Luke shook his hand, hissing in pain. He sucked on the cut that he had accidentally afflicted on his finger with a chisel. He turned on Takeru in anger. "I don't know what you mean!"

Takeru back away slightly. "Sorry, I just thought... since you keep asking for her address and you talk about her so excitedly... And you were watching her boat from the beach so sadly, that I just assumed..." He trailed off into an awkward silence. The he blurted, "Do you like her?"

Luke frowned. "Of course I like her. She was... She _is_ one of my closest friends." Though truthfully, he wasn't sure _what_ Akari was to him any more. He still referred to her as a friend, even though he didn't think about her in the same way he did Bo or Mai or Tao. And though she had slapped him and yelled at him, he didn't consider her a foe, either.

Takeru looked away. He rubbed his cheek, looking embarrassed. "No, that's not what I mean. I _meant_ the sort of like where you... kiss."

Luke went red. He wasn't sure what he should say to that. Sure, they had experienced what many would _call_ a kiss, but it hadn't really been anything like that. Kisses were supposed to be romantic and passionate- and he had just stood there like an idiot, and Akari had been as tense as a wound up spring.

"W-Well, just once," he admitted slowly. "She... kind of hurt my teeth when she did it, though."

Takeru laughed, misunderstanding what Luke was saying. He thought he was making a joke. "So she still does it like that?" He said.

Luke grinned back and turned back to his work, cradling his throbbing fingers in his opposite hand. But then his brain began to register Takeru's words, and the smiled slowly faded from his face. His heart started pounding in his ears. He swallowed, his throat dry.

"Wh-What do you mean... she _still_ does it like that?" He croaked.

Takeru's eyes widened and his cheeks flamed with embarrassment, as if he had only just noticed what he had said himself. "Oh gosh! I didn't mean it like... It's not what you think, I swear!" He babbled desperately. "I-I didn't realize I had said..."

"Takeru," Luke's gaze hardened and Takeru fell silent.

"...Sorry," Takeru mumbled eventually. "It was a long time ago. We were only twelve. It wasn't serious. At that age... we'd just known each other for so long, I suppose we _thought_ we... l-liked each other."

Luke nodded. He pursed his lips together uncertainly.

"B-But we broke up after half a year!" Takeru added quickly. "We're just friends. That's always how we've been, really. So you don't have to be concerned about me coming between you and Akari. I know _she_ feels the same way."

"Okay," Luke said plainly, though his heart was still jumping about angrily in his chest like an Olympic gymnast. Even if Takeru and Akari were no longer in a relationship, he couldn't help feeling a little betrayed. Neither one of them had thought to mention it to him until he asked, after all. And imagining Takeru and Akari with their arms around each other, kissing each other... It wasn't right. _It wasn't right._

Luke liked Takeru, he really did. But right now he couldn't help resenting him. Akari had left him her farm. Akari had left him her address. Akari had _kissed _him. It was obvious that she trusted Takeru. Didn't she trust Luke, too?

Takeru announced awkwardly that he really ought to be going. He tripped down the steps and fell flat on his face. Luke winced and smiled sympathetically as Takeru peeled himself off the ground and looked in despair at his dirtied clothes.

And suddenly, a fist curled around Luke's heart and squeezed mercilessly until it hurt. He found himself thinking- why Takeru? What did Takeru have that he didn't? What had made Akari want to kiss _him?_ But then Luke remembered that Akari _had_ wanted to kiss him- and he'd messed it up completely.

He waved a little sorrowfully to Takeru, who had passed Anise on the path and was currently involved in a riveting conversation, then closed the door of the carpentry. Sighing, he wondered how long his dad was going to take coming back from the city. At least an hour, he guessed. He had time.

Trotting out of the workshop, he dragged himself up the stair of his house and entered his room, closing the door behind him. Flopping down on his bed, he looked around. Paper. He needed some paper.

He couldn't find any proper writing paper, so he tore the few blank pages out of the back of one of Dai's old books. He didn't think he dad would mind. They were just blank pages, after all. He searched for a pen (finally uncovering one crammed under his bed along with countless other knickknacks and lost socks) and settled down, crossed legged on his bed.

Leaning the paper against the dresser beside him, he took the pen and began to write.

'_Dear Akari...'_

--

**I realize it has been a while since my last update, but as I have said, I am currently being attacked by a vicious hoard of **_**Crappicus Examus**_**'s.**

**Truth be told, I was at a complete loss as to what I was going to write for the next chapter, but I have now decided that it shall be set in the past. We will see how Takeru and Akari met, and glimpses of their relationship as they grew up. This means there will be some Akari/Takeru! (Yes, in that order. Can you imagine Takeru topping Akari? Sorry, I may have mentally scarred many of you there).**

**As usual, reviews are appreciated and replied to! Constructive criticism is encouraged, and I'd personally love to hear any ideas you have for later chapters! I'm in a bit of a rut as to where I'm going to go with Akari's city life, so if anyone has any inspiration on that, then please tell me!**


	21. Past and Present

**I was going to have this chapter set entirely in the past, but one of my reviewers seemed not too keen on the idea. S/he gave valid reasons for this that I had to take into account, and I began to think that maybe other people felt the same. Some people, however, were looking forward to seeing the characters as children, so I decided to give something for everyone and split the chapter into two parts!**

--

Takeru hung onto the garden gate, his button-over shoes poked through the rungs as he swung on it idly. He held his face wistfully up the bars, watching as the boys from the neighbouring estate roared past, chasing a football. He looked back to the door of his house, decorated with stained-glass. His mum was likely to be typing away on her computer upstairs, going through invoices, and his father was still out at work and wasn't due back for another hour, at least. His au pair, Juliet, was likely to be taking her daily bath.

Surely, nobody would notice if he slipped out for a while? His mother had forbade him from ever leaving the house without her permission- but if he ever _asked _for permission it was never granted. She didn't want him dirtying his clothes or picking up bad habits from the loud, messy children on the opposite estate.

But it was such a lovely day, and Takeru _really_ wanted to go out. So, pushing his glasses up his nose and rubbing his hands together, he heaved himself up on the wall- and fell off the other side. He scraped all the skin off his knees, and frightened tears came to his eyes when he saw the blood- but his fear was soon overcome by the sheer exhilaration of having disobeyed The Rules. Never in the seven years of his life had he ever dared go against his parents' orders.

Hurriedly, he turned and began running down the street, scuffing the toes of his expensive shoes on the ground. He couldn't risk being seen by anyone he knew. He dashed down the street, and the through the next, right out of the estate. Finally he stopped and leaned his hands against his knees, gasping, his lungs desperate for air. He looked around, and bit his lip.

He didn't know where he was. He knew he couldn't be more than a few blocks away from his house, but the estates were labyrinths of hedgerows and cul-de-sacs. He hadn't made note of the route he had taken; it could take him a long time to find his way back.

The adrenaline ebbed out of him, and he started to cry. He wandered the streets aimlessly for a while, sobbing softly to himself. The streets got darker and dirtier.

"Hey!"

Takeru raised his eyes in surprise to find a small girl running towards him. He flinched back almost fearfully. His mother had told him about the children who lived on this estate. They were rough, violent. They got into fights.

The girl bent down in front of him and picked up her basket ball. Then she straightened up with it under her arm. She scowled. "You could have thrown it back," she said.

"Sorry," Takeru murmured, staring at the girl in awe. She was a few inches shorter than him, and her T-shirt and shorts were second-hand and covered in dust. Her hair was the shortest he'd ever seen on a girl. All the girls at his school wore pigtails and tight ponytails, but hers was feathered into a pixie cut just above her ears. She was very thin and very brown, and she had plasters taped over her elbows and knees. She couldn't have been much older than him, but she had a tough, grown-up air about her, as if she'd been on the streets all her life.

"What are you staring at?" The girl demanded.

Takeru took a step back. "Nothing."

"Yes you were. You were staring at me," the girl said. She paused. "My name's Akari."

"Oh, erm..." Takeru fumbled with himself for a moment, hurriedly wiping at his eyes. It was embarrassing to be seen crying by someone like Akari. "I'm Takeru. It's very nice to meet you." He held out his hand, like his father did when dealing with his business. Akari stared at it warily for a moment, before taking it in hers and shaking roughly. Takeru resisted the urge to wipe his hand on his shorts after pulling away- Akari's hand wasn't very clean.

Akari bounced her ball off the ground. "You want to play?" She asked.

Takeru blinked. "Um, play what?" He replied unsurely.

Akari rolled her eyes. "Basketball, duh. Though I don't have a basket, so you have to pretend." She bounced the ball with one hand and sprung around in a circle before tossing it up to bounce it off a yellow mark that was painted high on the wall in an example.

Takeru watched, wide-eyed, dumbfounded. Akari threw the ball to him, expecting him to catch it. Instead, he kept his hands stupidly by his sides, and it bounced off his face and onto the ground. Blood exploded from his nose, and he had to raise his hands in a cup to stop it dripping over his clothes. His face crumpled, and he knew he was about to start crying again.

"Oh no, I'm sorry! Here," Akari picked up the ball and thrust it into Takeru's bloody hands. "Throw it at me. Go on, I won't catch it. Then we'll be even."

Takeru blinked his tears away, sniffing. He stared at her, baffled. "I-I don't _want_ to throw it at you..." He whimpered pitifully, licking the blood from his upper lip. "I don't want to fight. P-Please don't make me fight..."

Akari frowned. "I don't want a fight!" She exclaimed incredulously. She snatched the ball away. "Though I've been in a few myself," she added, sticking her chin in the air proudly.

"Really?"

"Oh, yeah! Once, right, the boys across the road from me shook me upside-down so they'd get all my conkers, so I ambushed them- I managed to hit one right on the nose! And I didn't get in trouble either, because I'm younger than them. And a girl," she said triumphantly.

"Wow." Takeru nodded admiringly.

"Yeah, yeah!" Akari went on, getting into her stride. "And once me and my friends found them in their den and we tipped a load of rubbish all over them! And then they chased us and we had a big fight, throwing rocks at each other and stuff, and..." Akari trailed off as she saw how white Takeru had turned, making the trickle of blood seem almost luminous against his skin. "Sorry," she said. "I made some of that up, so you don't have to be scared. What are you, a baby?"

Takeru pouted. "No."

"Then play with me," Akari said. She bounced her basketball. "Come on, I'll show you how."

All afternoon they played on the street, the sun's rays beating down heavily on them, Akari's freckled skin turning bronze. Takeru didn't notice his shoulders and neck burning red as the hours passed. Soon the sun began to bleed into the clouds, and their stomachs rumbled as they realised they were sure to have missed tea. Takeru began to fear the wrath of his parents that would come when he returned home.

"Are you going to come back tomorrow?" Akari asked as he was about to set off on the long journey of finding his way home.

Takeru bit his lip. He had shown such a blatant disregard for The Rules that he wasn't sure there would _be_ a tomorrow. But, "Yes, all right," he found himself saying, and Akari's face broke into a smile.

"See you later, then!" She grinned, and she turned and dashed off around the corner and was gone before Takeru could even blink.

--

"Yes, so... That's how I met Akari," Takeru smiled sheepishly at Anise, who was leaning forward against the counter of her shop and nodding earnestly. "I got in a lot of trouble for sneaking out, though..." He laughed.

"Oh dear," Anise laughed too. "So, you've known her how long exactly?"

"Well, I'm twenty-two now, and Akari will be twenty-three, so that's fifteen years," Takeru said. Anise's eyes dimmed for a moment and she looked sad. Akari had been gone for over a month. Her birthday had passed in that time. Takeru understood that she must have celebrated it with Anise when she lived in Waffle Town.

"Um, e-excuse me..." The bell above the shop door rang, and a low, whispery voice interrupted the two of them. Kotomi shuffled into the shop, smiling shyly, her arms held tightly behind her back, her pigtails swinging forward. "I-I just thought I should tell you... I-I-I'm g-getting married. T-To Juli. Oh!" Kotomi blushed bright red and hid her face in her hands.

"Oh, Kotomi!" Anise cried out in surprise. "Congratulations. I'm sure you'll be very happy."

"Uh... Congratulations, I..." Takeru faded into silence and instead offered Kotomi a smile. She smiled back happily.

"We're planning to have the wedding in about two weeks. I-I hope you'll both attend," Kotomi said, her confidence growing at her friends' reactions. She looked pointedly at Takeru, and he felt a lot more relaxed. He had felt a little awkward about wondering whether he would be expected to go or not.

"Two weeks?" Takeru verified. "That's not long! There's still so much to plan. I-I mean, you should..."

"O-Oh, Anise! What's wrong?" Kotomi exclaimed suddenly. Takeru turned to find that Anise had tears in her eyes. She was blinking a lot in an effort to hide them, but it was no use.

"It's nothing, it's nothing," Anise said, though her voice cracked as she said it. She swatted Takeru and Kotomi away. Then her voice softened. "I'm just getting a little déjà vu, that's all."

Kotomi looked at her worriedly. "P-Perhaps I'd better go..." she said quietly, and she turned and tottered out of the shop, the door banging behind her.

Takeru laid a hand gingerly on Anise's shoulder. Anise smiled gratefully.

"I'm fine, really," she said. "It's just that we were very close..."

Takeru nodded, understanding that she was talking about Akari. "I see," he said. He smiled nervously. "Hey, cheer up! We've got a wedding coming up in the near-future, haven't we? You need to get ready!"

Anise wiped her eyes. "Oh, it's okay. I'll just wear the same dress I wore to Leena's wedding. It's still quite new."

Takeru looked at her as if she'd just announced that she was going to turn up wearing just her underwear. "Nonsense!" He said jokingly. "You need to get something new! I think you'd probably suit light blue or purple..."

Anise sniffed, her tears drying up fast. She started to giggle. "You are not serious!" She said.

"I'm deadly serious!" Takeru said energetically, grinning- though his face had turned scarlet. "Really, it'll keep your mind off things."

Anise rolled her eyes, amused. "You have to be the first man I've come across that actually _likes_ shopping," she muttered, smiling. "Not that I'm complaining, of course. Okay, I'll go with you."

--

**Hmm, the ending had a little TakeruxAnise, even though I hadn't initially planned it to turn out that way! But I think it fit with the story, so I kept it in. Anise was upset because she was reminded of Leena's wedding. She knew that if Akari was there she would be fussing and flapping in the way she does at every big occasion!**

**Hey, has anyone else noticed that Akari always seems to go for men that are younger than her? She's twenty-three, and Luke is only nineteen. Takeru is younger than her too, if only by a few months. And there was a very minimal amount of JulixAkari earlier on in this story, and he's a few months younger than her, too!**


	22. A Confession

**I didn't expect this chapter to be done so soon! I only have two more exams and then I'm free, so maybe I'll be updating more often from now on.**

--

Akari chewed her pen as she went over her notes for a fifth time. She still had twenty minutes to kill until the end of the period. It was strange; two years ago she wouldn't have been able to understand the class to save her life. Now, it was so easy.

She glanced at the blonde-haired boy next to her, who was fumbling with his papers and dropping his pens and getting into a fluster. She sighed and shuffled over to him, helping pick up his things.

"Thanks," he said gratefully.

"You look like you could use some help," Akari offered. "Let me see your notes."

The boy grinned sheepishly. "Thanks a lot," he said. "I'm Mark, by the way."

"Akari," said Akari.

"Oh, you're the girl who used to be a farmer, aren't you?" Mark said excitedly. Akari inwardly flinched. _Used___to be a farmer.

"Yeah, that's me," she said quietly. Mark's entire face lit up. He turned properly to face her.

"To be honest, I want to be a farmer. I used to work part-time on one as a kid. But my folks say it's a failure profession. That's why I'm training to become a vet- so I can still work with animals," he blurted out in an excited rush. "So, what's it like, having a farm of your own? Is it hard work? Is it fun? Is it..."

Akari faded out and allowed Mark to blabber on to himself. He wasn't a bad guy, really, she figured. He seemed to be generally interested in what she had to say. And somehow, she found herself walking into town with him for lunch. She didn't object when he bought her share of the food. It was nice to have someone make a fuss over her.

It didn't have to mean anything.

--

Juli and Kotomi's wedding arrived sooner than expected, and with much fuss and excitement. Takeru had spent more time organising Anise than he had himself, and thus found himself in a terrible rush as to kitting himself out and purchasing a suitable gift for the bride and groom.

Juli was dressed as flamboyantly as ever, to nobody's surprise. Strangely, Kotomi was also looking very much like herself. Her dress, while pure white and made of the finest silk, was badly stitched and a little baggy around her chest and waist. It was clear that she hadn't made the dress herself. Most likely, it was Roomi's handiwork. And to be fair, she had tried. She had painstakingly sewed tiny lace rosebuds al around the hem and neckline individually, by hand, and she had even intertwined the leftover blossoms through her sister's hair, which was swept up in an elaborate bun atop her head.

Despite the shortcomings of her dress, Kotomi looked every bit the 'blushing bride' as Juli took her hand and lead her out into the centre of the village square for their first dance as husband and wife.

Anise sighed and mopped at her eyes. She was terrible at weddings. She was sure that her mascara was running down her cheeks with the tears. What a day to choose to wear makeup, after so many years of neglecting it! Takeru had advised her to wear some dusky silver eye shadow as well, as it would go well with her lilac dress. She had sighed and though that it was simply _not normal_ for a young man to know so much about women's cosmetics- but then, there was Juli, so maybe not. And she had to admit that the silver and the purple matched _perfectly._

She leaned against the fence that surrounded the square and scanned the area. Mai, Pat and Cathy sat at a table, chatting; Calvin and Ose were talking too, and watching the girls; the older villagers were in a large crowd, the women gossiping and the men laughing loudly after one drink too many; the children, including Anise's little brother, were sitting under the tables and taking in turns trying to sneak some food down without anyone noticing. Anise saw her brother peek up Mai's skirt, and she sighed exasperatedly, but stifled a giggle. Roomi was sat at a table by herself, emitting a dangerous, dark aura. Luke was slouched on a bench, wearing only his normal, dust-coated work clothes and sticking out like a sore thumb. Her eyes fell on Doctor Won, chatting to Irene.

"Hello, Anise," Takeru appeared next to her.

"Oh, hello, Takeru..." Anise murmured distractedly. Takeru frowned and narrowed his eyes, looking in the same direction that Anise was looking to see what was so interesting.

"Is it the doctor?" He asked.

"Excuse me?"

"Doctor Won. Weren't you looking at him just now...?" Takeru queried innocently. Anise stayed silent. Takeru began to smile. "I see... Are the two of you courting?"

"No, no of course not!" Anise said quickly, laughing as if he'd made a joke. "Whatever gave you a silly idea like that?"

Takeru shrugged in a very undignified manner. "Sorry. You were looking at him in that way... Do you like him?" He suddenly clamped a hand over his mouth. "Oh dear! That was rude, wasn't it? It's really none of my business, after all..."

"No, no, it's all right," Anise assured. "It's not that I don't like him, really. I find him a fascinating man- but he's very serious. Not the type who would pay women much attention. He's much too wrapped up in his work."

Takeru took a deep breath, as if he was preparing himself to say something daring. "Well... he obviously isn't wrapped up in his work _now,_ or he wouldn't be here," he said, looking up at the sky and trying to sound casual. "So... you could..."

"Are you suggesting that I talk to him?" Anise asked, eyebrows raised, a smile on her face.

"I suppose so, yes."

Anise sighed and shook her head. Then a light bulb pinged in her head, and she got an idea. "Okay, then," she agreed. "I'll talk to him. But only if _you_ talk to _her."_ And she pointed over at Roomi, who was picking morosely at the flowers in her hair and glaring down at the table with such venom that it wouldn't be surprising if the wood set alight.

Takeru bit his lip. "Um... I don't think she's in the mood to talk to anyone right now," he said unsurely.

"Really? It looks like she needs cheering up to me," Anise said. "And, you know, she hasn't stopped talking about you since you came here."

"That's most likely a _bad_ thing," Takeru mumbled under his breath.

Anise rolled her eyes and gave him a playful push. "Go on. She looks like she needs someone to talk to," she urged, and Takeru knew he was beaten. Anise wasn't going to let it drop. Oh, he wished he'd never mentioned her talking to Won!

"You mean she needs someone to take her anger out on. Okay, I'll go, but I really oughtn't to be doing this!" Takeru grumbled, cursing his tendency to let people just walk all over him. He wished he wasn't such a pushover, but it was the way he was and he couldn't change it.

He stumbled over to Roomi's table, weaving in and out of the people so that he stood fairly close to her. She didn't seem to notice him, but he was sure that she wouldn't be happy if he just sat down of his own accord. And besides, it was poor manners to take a seat without being invited to sit there, at least, at this sort of occasion. He cleared his throat nervously.

"H-Hello, Miss."

Roomi didn't even respond. She was staring at her lap, fiddling with a flower she had plucked from her hair, shredding it into a moist, pink confetti. Takeru looked around to Anise for help, but she had lived up to her end of the bargain and was currently engaged in a conversation with Won and Irene.

"Are you... having a good time?" Takeru tried again.

Roomi shot him a savage look. "Does it _look_ like I'm having a good time?" She huffed. She sprinkled the torn-up petals of the flower on the ground. "Well, are you just going to stand there like a moron, or are you going to sit down?"

Success! True, her reaction wasn't promising, but at least she had invited him to sit with her.

"You look a little upset, if you don't mind me saying," Takeru said gently, sitting stiffly on the very edge of one of the white chairs. "Do you... Would you like to talk about it?"

Roomi's lips tightened into a thin white line, and Takeru worried that she would clam up or bite his head off altogether, but instead she leaned forward on the table, frowning. "Yeah, I would, actually," she said fiercely.

Takeru wondered whether she thought he was just asking about her wellbeing to make polite conversation. That wasn't true. Well, not mainly. "Well, I'm listening," Takeru said encouragingly.

"Right," Roomi said. She took a deep breath, and Takeru could tell she was about to spin him one heck of a yarn. "It's not that I don't _like_ Juli, okay? I do, though don't tell him. And I know that he loves my sis, and that she must love him, too, but..." she sighed. "Heh. I guess I just can't put the past behind me, eh?"

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, yeah, you don't know," Roomi realized. "Here's how it is. Juli used to pick on Kotomi when we were kids. And I know that was a very long time ago, but I can't ignore it! Just because they're getting married I'm supposed to forget what he did to her, am I? Everyone's going on and on about how _happy_ they'll be, and what a _lovely_ couple they make- as if they've totally forgotten everything he did to her! I can't forget. I'm the only one." She lowered her eyes sadly to the table, scratching at her nail varnish.

Takeru sighed. "I... I understand."

"Liar! Anyone can say that."

"B-But it's true, I can honestly your point of view here," Takeru said quickly. "But, I think... Juli and your sister, they're not expecting you to _forget_. They just want you to _forgive._"

"Oh, don't give me that cheesy rubbish!" Roomi spat. "What do you know? You don't know me. You don't know anything. It's all his fault. It's his fault that I'm like this."

Takeru blinked. "Like what?"

"It's his fault I'm a bitch."

Takeru's eyes widened in surprise at her sudden outburst. "No... No, Miss Roomi, you're not! You're not a... a..."

"Yes, I am, and I know I am," said Roomi viciously. "You know it, too. I made you cry before. I'm mean. Nasty. I'm sarcastic and impatient with everyone. A god damned bitch."

Takeru swallowed. What was he supposed to do? If he made a wrong move here, he could really upset Roomi and end up with a black eye. Even though he'd achieved an A in his psychology exam- he was supposed to be _good_ at understanding people's emotions- words always failed him in this sort of situation. "Well, maybe you're a little... brash, but I don't think you're a... uh... a b-b-bi-"

Roomi suddenly snorted. "Look at you, you can't even say it!" She said bitterly. "I bet you were Mummy's Little Angel when you were a kid, right?"

"Um..." Takeru felt his face grow hot and he knew he was blushing.

Roomi sat back in her seat. The anger had faded from her voice now, and she looked small and sad. "My mother wasn't too fond of me. I think she wanted me to be more like my sister," Roomi murmured. "Sweet, polite, quiet little Kotomi would could never do anything wrong." She put on a silly, simpering voice and waved her fingers mockingly. Then she bowed her head. "But she could never stick up for herself. I had to do it for her. And sometimes that meant I had to be rude. I became this person for my sister, you know."

She continued. "Mother didn't like it. She didn't think such behaviour was 'becoming of a lady'. That's why I started dressing like this. Mother thought it'd make me more ladylike. Ha!" She laughed, though her eyes were shimmering and she looked as if she could start crying at any moment.

"Roomi..." Takeru was so struck by Roomi's confession that he forgot the 'Miss'. His eyes wandered down to the table. He noticed the empty cocktail glass in front of her.

"I know what you're thinking," Roomi said, smirking. "Don't worry. I've only had one. I'm not saying this because I'm drunk. I mean it." She sighed. "I can't forgive him. It's his fault that I'm the way I am."

Takeru chewed his lip and shifted in his seat. "Miss Roomi... would you mind very much if I were to say something about your situation?" He asked hesitantly. Roomi looked at him silently, and he took the hint. "I think that... Though you act like a... I-I mean, you can be mean, if you don't mind me saying, but I can tell that you're a nice person. You care so much about your sister; you sacrificed a lot for her. But you can't blame her or Juli for who you are. I-In my opinion, the only one responsible for your actions is you. So, if you want to change yourself, then the only one standing in your way... is you..." He suddenly laughed nervously. "S-Sorry. I'm not making much sense am I?"

Roomi stared at him, narrowing her eyes in a long and hard look, scrutinising him and working out whether he was serious or just making fun of her. Then she let herself relax. "Who do you think you are, preaching at me?" She said, though she had a smile on her face. Her voice softened. "Thanks for trying, Takeru."

"Ah... Ah ha ha ha!" Takeru laughed again, nervous and panicked by Roomi's sudden lack of hostility towards him. He scratched the back of his neck. "It really wasn't anything major..."

"No, really," Roomi said quietly. She reached out and squeezed Takeru's hand. "Thanks."

Takeru's eyes grew wide as he felt the warmth of Roomi's hand over his, and he snatched his hand. It was an automatic reaction which he couldn't help, but Roomi looked hurt. Then she scowled and folded her arms in annoyance.

"Hey, you guys..." Roomi and Takeru looked up to see Luke hovering over them, tugging at his hair.

"What do _you_ want?" Roomi snapped, reverting to her bad mood.

"Do any of you have a piece of paper? And a pen, too?" Luke asked. "I want to write a letter."

--

**Akari and Luke had to take a back seat in this chapter, unfortunately. Next chapter there will be more on the two of them, though. As you can see, Luke's taken up a new hobby. Well, at least his handwriting will improve, right?**

**As usual, I would love to hear your opinions on this chapter! Please feel free to review, as they are very inspiring!**


	23. Dear Akari

**It's here at last! SOME people thought they knew what was going to happen this chapter, so the contents of this were written partly to throw them off! Ha ha ha, sorry, I'm terrible, I know. But I have been planning a chapter like this for a while. It was just a question of where to fit it in! Anyway, enjoy!**

--

Dear Akari,

Okay. I'm not sure how to start. I've gone over and over this in my head but it doesn't sound right for some reason. I thought maybe it would come to me if I just started writing, but it's not working, and this is about the tenth draft already! There's paper all around me now.

This is stupid, isn't it? I'm not even talking about anything. I think I'll have to start again. Okay, here we go!

Bye for about three seconds!

Luke x

--

Dear Akari,

Right I'm back! Your other letter went in the bin, though it's overflowing by now! I guess I'm just not very good at this, ha ha ha!

Oh no. If I carry on like this I'll just end up puking up a load of random rubbish and you'll fall asleep cause you'll get so bored! Why do I always have to do this? I always try to make everything into a joke. Even you leaving, I'm trying to laugh about it because if I don't my stomach starts to hurt. And it hurts a lot, Akari.

I was really mean to your friend today. Takeru, I mean. And I don't get it. He never did anything to me, but I still got really angry! You know what? I think I was kinda jealous that he got your address and I didn't. Stupid, right? I know you'd probably say 'Everyone gets jealous sometimes' or something like that, but since you won't ever get to read this I suppose you never will.

That makes it easier, in a way. I get to say stuff that I couldn't say to your face. A lot of this stuff is so embarrassing; I'd die if you ever read it! I've already written about ten letters all in a row. They were all full of that mushy rubbish.

I get the feeling that they're all going to be full of that mushy rubbish! It's okay as long as nobody ever sees them. So I'll just say it now. I miss you a lot, Akari. The worst part is that I know I'm the reason you're gone, and don't try to tell me otherwise! I messed up, didn't I? Biiiiiiig time. I wish I could go back, I really do. If I could go back, there are so many things I would have said and done... Or maybe not.

Cause that's the thing, Akari. I'm not a very good guy. I was too stupid to figure out how you felt about me and I was too scared to do anything about it when I did. I know I act all crazy and stuff, but... To be honest, I don't know. I don't know who I am any more. Not without you.

Ahhhhh! That was totally sappy! Totally embarrassing! Okay, wait here while I go and bang my head off the wall, okay?

That's better! Ha ha ha! Damn, I'm doing it again. You can hit me whenever I get sidetracked, okay? Good. I'm just glad you'll never get to read this! Or maybe it's the opposite. Yeah, I think that's it. I'd actually really, really like you to read this, just so you can understand. The only downside would be that I'd never be able to face you again!

Hey, this letter is better than the other ones I did! I'm getting better at this. I'll be an awesome writer yet, Akari!

Love, Luke

--

Dear Akari,

It's raining today, and I think it fits. Everyone's really missing you. Takeru is okay once you get to know him, though he could never replace you. I'm helping him out right now. I don't like to admit it, but I think the reason I'm doing so much for him is because I feel guilty. I mean, it's practically my fault he got dragged into this. Plus it makes me feel closer to you, somehow.

Oh no, I'm getting to the embarrassing stuff already! I'd better just shut up now.

Takeru's been crying a lot, poor guy. I think he's just a bit homesick. He can't work though. Anise and I helped his to plough the fields, but every time he swung the hoe he fell over. Reminds me of you when you first started! For some reason, that makes me feel sad. He's getting better though. I think he could be a good farmer eventually.

Anise and Mai and Cathy talk about you a lot. I know it's just because they miss you, and I think sometimes I should join in, but I never do. My stomach hurts every time someone mentions you. I was actually sick once or twice! See, this is your fault!

Oops, I think I was a bit nasty there, wasn't I? It's a good thing you won't read this, eh?

But I'd better stop thinking that way. If I keep telling myself 'she'll never read it', then I might stop writing these letters. Or worse, I might write something reeeeeeally stupid!

Well, see you!

Love from Luke

--

Dear Akari,

Roomi and Takeru had an argument today. Or should I say _Roomi_ got in an argument. Tak was just being himself, as usual. I think Roomi misses you a lot, and that's why she's mean to him. I get it. I know it's not how it is, but sometimes I feel like he's trying to replace you.

I do feel sorry for him though. Roomi can be such a bully! But don't worry about him too much, okay? He's got me to take care of him, after all!

But hey, someone told me that you and Tak used to date! That actually made me sort of angry, ha ha ha. I don't know why, but you two don't seem right together, you know? I mean, he's nice and all, but you're _really_ different! I just didn't expect it. I think you'd suit someone like...

Ah, it's getting late!

Bye!

Luke xx

--

Dear Akari,

Big news! Juli and Kotomi are getting married! Seeing them a year ago, you'd never have guessed it would happen. Bet you wish you stuck around now, eh? We all know how much you love weddings.

Seriously, you should have stayed. I wish you had stayed. It won't be the same without you.

Oh God, I'm doing it again. If I keep doing this I'm going to end up seriously depressed! But maybe I am a bit. That is, I haven't been feeling all that upbeat lately.I don't know why. Well, I _do_, I'm not that stupid, but I'm not going to go into it because I've been talking about depressing stuff a lot lately and you might just get bored and stop reading!

So, well, I don't know why I'm bothering writing this, but maybe you could come over for the wedding? It's in about two weeks. Kotomi and Juli would be really happy if you went, so...

Oh, this is stupid, isn't it?

I'm sorry, Akari. I'm really, really sorry for being so, so, so stupid.

From Luke

--

Dear Akari,

I can't believe I've been writing to you every day! I remember when I was a kid I used to hate even picking up a pen! Now there's a huge box under my bed filled with all my letters to you. I wish I could send you just one of them. I want to know if you're okay. I'm worried about you.

Ah, don't look at me like that! I know, I know, you can take care of yourself. But you're still human, Akari. And everybody needs somebody to worry about them.

Juli and Kotomi's wedding is tomorrow! But for some reason I'm not looking forward to it. I don't want to go, but if I tell Dad that he'll get mad at me for sure, so I'd better just keep quiet!

Takeru is nearly as excited as you about weddings! I mean, that guy is totally weird. He kept making a big thing about having to get new clothes for the wedding. He says it's 'disrespectful' to wear old stuff. He's such a city boy, am I right?

I don't want to put my torch away and go to sleep. I want to keep writing, though I know Dad will be annoyed if I stay up all night with my letters and am too tired to get up in the morning. But I still want to write. It feels almost as if I'm really talking to you, though you're not here and you have no idea that I'm writing all of this.

I know. I'll put this letter under my pillow to go to sleep. That way I can touch it if I want and I won't feel lonely. Good idea, right?

Good night, Akari.

Luke

--

Dear Akari,

I feel like I want to cry. I don't know why. Sorry about the paper. It's really thin and because I only have my knee to lean it on I keep tearing it with the pen. I got it from Roomi just now, and it looks pretty old. Oh, yeah, I should explain.

I'm at the wedding right now, and I'm the only one on my own. Cathy and Mai and Pat are chatting, and so are Ose and Calvin. Gil's actually being pretty funny. Him and the mayor are flapping around making sure everything's just right. My dad's gone off somewhere because he's ashamed to be seen with me, cause I'm just wearing my work clothes, and Irene's looking at me in that way she does that makes you feel like she wants to squash you under her shoe.

Oh God, it sounds like I should be playing the violin, sooo sorry for poor little me! Don't worry; it's not that that's bothering me. I'm just getting a bit... what was the word? _Nostalgic._ See, I know all these big words now that I've started writing!

I suppose I'm just missing you. This whole thing reminds me of Tao and Leena's wedding. That was a really fun time, actually. But looking back now, I feel sick. I just realised that I messed up then, as well. I nearly dropped you and then I ran off and left you all alone. Sorry about that. I'd started feeling strange, that's why I did it.

Oh no. They've just put on some really mushy, romantic song. Now everyone's going to get all weepy, I just know it. Juli and Kotomi are stood in the middle of the square, holding each other and staring at each other, all gooey-eyed. Tao and Leena just got up from their seats, and I bet they're going to dance, too. Calvin's talking to Pat now. Anise looks like she just asked Won something. He's shaking his head and she looks disappointed. I think he's going back to the clinic.

Roomi and Takeru are talking, and for the first time I think they're actually getting along! Roomi just nodded towards the centre of the square. Hey, what's up with Tak? Ha ha ha, he just got really red! He's getting up and running off as I write this- well more of a fast walk, but still.

Aaaaand he's just walked into Gil who was coming in the opposite direction. And they're both on the ground now. Takeru's practically shouting 'Sorry'. I can't help but smile. He reminds me of someone!

This is the same song they played when me and you danced at Tao's wedding. I wonder if we looked like that. Like Juli and Kotomi or Tao and Leena, I mean. I know you said that you loved me, but was it... It was _that _sort of love, right? I wonder if... Ha ha ha! Never mind! I was just kidding! I'm being stupid again, aren't I?

Damn. I just looked up for a second and I thought I saw you. But then I remembered that you're not here. That's really depressing! Just goes to show how much you mean to me, right?

It's starting to drizzle a bit. That's what those marks are on the paper. Raindrops. It's not that I've been crying into it or anything. No way, not me! I'm the one who always looks on the bright side, remember?

I want to go home. I don't want to be here. I'm feeling really, really sick. Maybe I could sneak off without anyone noticing? That sounds like an idea! Okay, wish me luck!

Bye for now.

From Luke

--

Dear Akari,

I...

Today I...

Today, I have nothing to write.

Luke

--

**I'm not quite sure how that turned out. As I'm writing from Luke's point of view, I can't say or get across everything I'd like to, because he's (STILL!) so damn oblivious. I'm not sure how I did at writing his POV. I know he sounds very energetic and cheery throughout a lot of this, but when writing I expected him to sound a little sad, as if his heart wasn't really in a lot of what he was writing. Like he's trying to trick himself into thinking he's happy.**

**My favourite part of this chapter would definitely be the part where Luke describes what everyone's doing at the wedding! I can totally imagine Takeru knocking Gil over by accident. All the better if he was carrying some food/drinks!**

**I'd like to hear your opinions on this chapter as I'm sure not many of you were expecting it!**


	24. Phone Call

**This chapter was inspired by Luke's final letter in the last chappie!**

--

Akari found herself meeting up with Mark more and more, at first just in the university campus, but later after work hours. They would walk round Waterfields shopping centre together, and became regulars at the Blue Bird Cafe.

Akari didn't mind how Mark fawned over her. In fact, she quite enjoyed it. It made her feel good about herself, somehow. Though she got the feeling that he liked her a little _too_ much. Sometimes she worried that he might be developing a crush on her. How would that work out...?

It had gotten to the point where Akari was wondering just when Mark would officially 'make a move'. Right now they were sat at the bar of their cafe, and from the way Mark was fidgeting and looking back and forth anxiously; Akari could tell he was going to say something.

"Um, hey, Akari..."

Akari inwardly sighed. Here it comes...

"I was wondering... Just what do you think of me?" Mark grinned embarrassedly and wound a stray strand of blonde hair round his finger.

Akari closed her eyes for a moment, a pained frown on her face. She leaned forward, her elbows propping her up against the bar. "I... like you very much, Mark. I think you're a nice person," she said truthfully, though her face was still creased with uncertainty.

Mark's face lit up. "Really? 'Cause I like you a lot too, y'know," he said. He paused and squirmed in his seat, now chewing on his lip so clearly that Akari was surprised it wasn't starting to bleed. "C-Can I... Can I kiss you?"

"_What?!"_ Akari almost fell out of her chair.

"Sorry! Sorry!" Mark spluttered quickly, holding his hands up defensively as if worried that Akari was going to hit him. He smiled apologetically. "I guess that was a little forward, huh? Never mind, just forget I said it, okay?"

"No," Akari said suddenly, her eyes still fixed on the counter. "It's... okay. You can kiss me if you like."

"_Really?"_ Mark said again. He turned on his chair to face her. He licked his lips, then wiped them. "Wait a sec," he said. He coughed a little and licked his lips again. By this point Akari had turned so that she was facing him, too. Mark raised his hands awkwardly to cup her face and then leaned in closer to her.

Akari held her breath. He was taking too long. She was going to pull away, she just knew it. She couldn't let that happen. So, she suddenly hooked her arms around his neck and pulled him towards her and kissed him fiercely.

Mark made a surprised 'mmn!' noise in the back of his throat as Akari slipped her tongue into his mouth, but he quickly got over his shock and kissed her back just as passionately, running his hands through her short, stubbly hair and shifting off his chair to get closer to her.

The two were eventually forced to come up for air as the people on the table behind them cleared their throats loudly. ("Honestly, kids these days have no shame!") They pulled away from each other, both flushed and breathless.

"W-Well..." Mark breathed, brushing back his hair. "That was... um..."

"Y-Yeah, sorry," Akari murmured guiltily, bowing her head. She began to turn back to the bar, but Mark suddenly leaned in and captured her lips again, in a shorter, more innocent kiss.

"It's okay," he said, and Akari felt a pang in her chest. It wasn't okay. She didn't love him.

But maybe...

Maybe, one day, she could _learn_ to love him. He loved her, she was sure. And she knew how painful one-sided affection could be. And when Mark had his lips on hers and his arms wrapped around her, Akari really did feel loved. And that was all she needed. She needed someone to love her. Anyone.

She was tired of being the one loving. Selfish as it was, she couldn't help thinking that she deserved this. This time, it was _her_ turn to be loved.

--

Takeru fell into his house, gasping for air. The farm was as exhausting as ever. Picking himself up off the floor and into a sitting position, he pulled off his work gloves and rubbed the palms of his hands, groaning. His hands hadn't seen a lick of work in the twenty-two years, and so much at once made them sore and swollen. He rubbed beneath his fingers and grimaced at the calluses that were forming there.

It had been two months since he came to Waffle Town, and though he would still cry himself to sleep sometimes because of the sheer, unforgiving labour he had to endure, Takeru had noticed that he was improving. Throughout his first week, it had taken him from the moment he got up to the moment he had to go to bed to get all the work done- and that was if he hadn't collapsed before then. Now, he found that it only took him until noon to finish everything, leaving him with quite a lot of free time, most of which he spent with his sketchbook.

Takeru had always felt slightly ashamed of his irrepressible urge to draw. He was an upper-class citizen with an education many people would have killed for- and he wanted to be an _artist. _He would blush terribly whenever anyone asked him what he wanted to do for a career. Usually he would just mumble something about being undecided on the topic, but the older he had gotten, the harder that had became.

But ever since he came to Waffle Town, he had felt oddly inspired. He'd never spent much time in the country before, only when on holiday with his family every year, and those were only a few weeks at a time, so he had never really taken in any of it. But spending so much time in the natural environment just felt _right_, and he had noticed a clear improvement in his sketches since he arrived there.

Luke had caught him scribbling once and asked to see. Takeru had shook his head fiercely and refused to show him, but Luke had swiped the book from his unsuspecting hands and held it out of his reach. Takeru could only watch, sniffing and blushing like his face was on fire, as Luke flicked through his work.

"These are pretty awesome!" Luke had said when he handed his book back to him.

Takeru had been stunned at first, but then turned indignant. "I... I-I-I know they're not very p-professional, but you don't have to m-m-make f-fun of m-me!" He spluttered, snatching his sketchpad away.

But later Anise had said almost the same thing about his art. She even suggested that he gave some to her to sell at the market on the Saturday. Takeru had politely refused, but it had made him think. Maybe he could still make it as an artist!

Ahh! Such an embarrassing thing to think!

Takeru picked himself up off the floor and leaned against the wall. He checked his watch against the clock on the wall. Eleven forty-eight. His face broke into a grin. He'd taken a whole seven minutes off the previous day's work time.

"_Yahoo!"_ He jumped up and punched the air victoriously. Then his eyes widened and he clamped his hands over his mouth. "Goodness..." The countryside might have been having a positive effect on his art, but a distinctively _negative_ effect on his demeanour. If he wasn't careful his good manners could disappear completely.

Then the phone rang.

Takeru fumbled with himself for a moment before picking up the receiver and holding it to his ear. "Hello? Takeru speaking."

"Hi, Tak," a voice piped up with forceful cheeriness.

"Akari!" Takeru smiled, sitting down on the bed. Then he frowned. "What's wrong?"

"What, just because I call you, you assume something must be wrong?" Akari said. She laughed half-heartedly, then sighed. "So, how are you doing?"

"I'm... fine."

"Oh no," Akari's voice fell. "You paused. You're not happy, are you? I'm sorry." She paused. "Well, it's a good thing I called then. You see... I'm going to sell the farm. If you don't want it that is, Takeru."

Takeru almost dropped the phone. "Wh-What? Why?" He stammered, forgetting his manners for a second time that day. "You love this place, Akari. Don't pretend you don't."

"I _know_, I _know,"_ Akari sighed. She sounded sad. "But, you see... I'm not coming back, Takeru. I'm staying in the city. I'm going to be a vet, make something of myself. You can come back too, if you don't want the farm. I know I forced it on you, and I'm sorry. But now you can get back to living your own life."

"Akari..." Takeru stood up and started pacing back and forth. From the tone of Akari's voice, he could tell that she certainly wasn't happy. "I know you want to come back. Do you think that selling your farm will stop you wanting to return? You say you want to make something of yourself, but would you really be complete without something you love so much?"

Akari snorted and Takeru wondered if he'd said something wrong. "You really did study psychology, didn't you?" She chuckled sadly. "Don't talk to me like that, Tak. Please don't. I've made up my mind, and I'm not coming back."

"But... what about everyone here? What about... what about _Luke?"_ Takeru asked.

Akari grew sharp. "What about him?" she snapped.

"Well, the two of you... I just naturally assumed that you were... you know... how do people say it these days? 'Going out'?" Takeru said falteringly. "Weren't you...? I thought you loved him."

"Yeah. I did," Akari said sharply, though her voice cracked as she said it. "But we were never 'going out', Tak. You know what, I'm just going to tell you straight out. I loved Luke, but he never loved me. I couldn't handle it, and that's why I left. I'm stupid and selfish, I know, but I don't care!" Her voice was shaking. Was she crying? Takeru couldn't tell.

"Akari, please..." Takeru wiped at his eyes quickly. She was making _him_ cry!

"Oh, don't you start bawling!" Akari's voice barked over the receiver so loudly that Takeru had to hold it away from his ear. Then she sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm just stressed. I really didn't want to call. Listen, Tak, I'll give you some time to decide whether you want the farm or not. I'll call back in a week or so, so please make up your mind by then."

"But, Luke-"

"Luke is not an issue here!" Akari shrieked suddenly, and Takeru yelped and covered his ringing ear with his hand. "There's someone else, okay?!" Akari went on. "He's called Mark, and you know what, Takeru? He actually _loves_ me. And I'm with him now. I'm making a new life here, Takeru, so please, don't try to stop me."

"Akari," Takeru said quietly. "You really mean it, don't you? You're seriously going to sell the farm. You're really... You're seriously courting another man." He sighed. "Well, if that's what you want, Akari, then I-" He froze mid-sentence.

"Takeru? What's wrong? What happened, Takeru?" Akari's voice buzzed in his ear, but Takeru barely heard. All he could do was stare into the stricken face of the young man who stood in the doorway of his house. How much had he heard...?

"Luke..." he whispered. "This isn't..."

Luke shook his head. Then he smiled. "It's fine, Takeru. No problem," he said shakily. His wide eyes were fixed on the phone Takeru held loosely in his hand, and Takeru could tell he knew it was Akari on the line. He didn't ask to speak to her. Instead, he turned immediately and quickly walked down the path that lead out of the farm.

Takeru dropped the phone down on the bed and dashed to the doorway. "Luke! Wait, Luke, please!"

Luke didn't turn around. His pace quickened into a jog, and he kept his head bowed. "Sorry," he said. "I should have knocked." And then he broke into a run and disappeared down the path.

Akari had hung up by the time Takeru picked the phone up again. She had probably realized that Luke was there. He placed the phone back in place on the table and slumped down on the bed with a sigh. He felt tears coming to his eyes, but he decided not to cry. It never did any good, anyway.

"This is all my fault, isn't it...?" He mumbled to no-one in particular. He lay down on the bed and curled up into a ball, hugging his knees to his chest. He hid his face in his pillow. "Why are you doing this, Akari...?"

--

"D-Dad, do you know where I can find I piece of paper?"

Dai frowned at his son. Luke had taken furiously to writing over the two months Akari had been gone, it seemed. "There might be one in the bottom drawer of the bureau, I think. Why?"

"No reason," Luke murmured, rooting through the drawer and bringing out the dirty sheet of paper. "Thanks."

He dragged himself up to his room and flopped down on his bed. He rolled onto his stomach and leaned the paper against the palm of his hand. Reaching into his pocket, he brought out the cheap biro that he had grown used to carrying around over the past two months.

He put the pen to the paper and began to write.

_Dear Akari,_

_I..._

_Today I..._

_Today, I have nothing to write._

_Luke_

--

**Oh no! What will become of Luke and Akari now? And what will happen to Takeru? Heh heh, I feel a little sorry for Takeru. He's been caught up in this whole drama through no fault of his own. But maybe it'll do him good in the end! I feel bad for Mark too, despite the fact that he's taking Akari further away from Luke.**

**I've just realised. There's a huge love-shape going on here. Mark loves Akari, Akari loves Luke, Luke loves Akari but he doesn't know it, plus he thinks that Takeru might still like Akari when actually he doesn't; **_**and**_** there's a big question mark between Takeru, Roomi and Anise, though Anise loves Won and Roomi is still short-tempered with Tak.**

**And to think, I don't even like love-triangles! But the thing I don't like about them is that they usually result in some-one getting their heart broken. I don't want that to happen in this story, but we'll see!**

**(Is it just me or is this turning into a soap opera?)**

**Anyway, please read and review as usual, and I'd love to hear any suggestions on what I should put in the next chapter!**


	25. Insomnia

**Since when do I update this quickly?**

--

Luke rolled over onto his side and rubbed his belly. It was late. Too late. He should have been asleep, but he had so many thoughts buzzing around in his head that every time he felt his eyelids growing heavy they would bring him back with a jolt.

But he was thinking _too_ much. All his thoughts slurred together into one big incoherent mess and he couldn't make heads or tails of anything. All he knew was that he was hurting. His stomach was aching and his chest felt tight and his throat was throbbing painfully and he wanted to be sick.

This, of course, was nothing new.

How long had it been since Akari had left Waffle Town? Four months? Five months? Luke no longer knew. Every day merged into the next and could no longer be differentiated as individual dates. He thought he might be going crazy. It was Akari's fault. Everything was Akari's fault.

But it wasn't. In his heart he knew that if he hadn't been so blind, none of this would be happening. He wouldn't be hurting the way he was.

He wondered if Akari was hurting, too. She had said she loved him, and yet she was now going out with another man. A nameless, faceless man who Luke didn't know. Somehow that made things worse. He was losing Akari to someone who didn't exist in his eyes. He was losing Akari. He had lost Akari.

Why did things have to turn out like this? Why did she have to leave? Takeru was a nice guy, but he was no Akari. He didn't have her passion and her spirit.

Luke shook his pillow to puff it back up into its original shape. Underneath were about four or five letters. Luke sighed. He was sure he'd used at least half a rainforest's worth of paper writing to Akari. The letters were now piled under his bed, threatening to spill out and reveal themselves to the world. What he wouldn't give to send just one.

He laid on his back and put his arms behind his head. He let his mind wander back to happier times with Akari. He pretended that she had never left. He was good at pretending.

And then he remembered her arms around his neck and the warmth of her body against his and her hot breath tickling his ear and her soft lips pressed against his, kissing him...

He raised his hand subconsciously to his chin and touched his lips, pretending the tips of his fingers were Akari's lips. It was okay, as long as he kept his eyes closed. Then her rolled over and kissed his pillow instead, all the time, pretending.

_Just keep your eyes closed, Luke. Just keep your eyes closed..._

But he couldn't keep his eyes closed forever. He knew that. And he knew that if he continued to pretend, it would hurt all the more when he returned to reality and realised that everything wasn't as it should be after all. So he opened his eyes.

Akari floated around in his mind as he drifted off to sleep. And when he was in that subconscious state between wake and sleep, he thought maybe, just a little, just a tiny bit, maybe, he really did...

--

Akari flopped down on her bed and buried her face in her pillow. It smelled damp and dirty. She wrinkled her nose and turned onto her back. She couldn't sleep. In truth, she hadn't had a good night's sleep since she left Waffle Town. It wasn't fair. She left because she was sick and tired of feeling the way she did. But, now that she was miles away in the city, she felt even worse.

Every day was agony. The pain hadn't dulled, not even after four months. Four months and sixteen days in total. Yes, she was counting.

She knew what a horrible person she was. Mark was a kind and earnest person and yet she was just using him to try to block out her prevailing feelings. She left her farm and her friends without any warning to fulfil her own selfish desires. She practically forced Takeru into doing something he obviously didn't want to do- and yet she didn't care. She didn't stop to think about anyone else's feelings but her own.

And why should she, she thought indignantly. She was sick of thinking about other people all the time. Why couldn't she be selfish, just this once? If _she_ didn't think about her needs, then who would?

But...

She wasn't happy. The city was stifling and the people there were busy, so busy they had no time for the simple things in life that made everything so much more beautiful- if you only bothered to look. Her university bored her- she admitted it. And Mark, though cheery and kind, wasn't someone she could ever love.

It wasn't fair.

Life wasn't fair.

She ran away to the city so she could forget everything. But no matter how hard she tried, her memories still lingered thickly around her like a dense fog. It was so dense that she could hardly see where she was going. She didn't know anything any more. Apart from the fact that she wasn't happy.

She was the opposite of happy.

She was sad.

Luke- she still loved him. She couldn't stop loving him. It was her curse, and she was doomed to endure it till the day she died. She could never, ever stop loving him. No matter how much she shouted, cried, begged, _prayed_ for it to stop, she knew it never would.

Oh God help her.

She loved him so much.

But why did it have to hurt like this...?

--

Takeru turned in his bed for about the twentieth time. He just couldn't get comfortable. His mind was in too much of a muddle for sleep. The old him would probably have been crying. But he was well past that stage now.

He was worried. About Luke, about Akari... and about himself. Akari didn't want to sell the farm, he knew that. But she was going to, because she was Akari, and you just couldn't budge her when she set her mind on things. Her foolish pride caused her to see out everything to the end, no matter how much pain it caused her. Pig-headed, Takeru believed the term was.

She was courting another man, and despite what she had said, Takeru could tell she didn't love him. Anyone in Waffle Town would know that Akari only had eyes for Luke, and Luke alone.

Luke was another cause for concern. Over the past few months he had grown more distant, despite his desperate attempts to remain upbeat and cheerful. He and Takeru had never spoken about the phone call with Akari, but Takeru knew in the back of his mind that Luke had heard every word. He was sure his absent-mindedness was being caused by the knowledge that Akari had another man.

Takeru pulled the blankets over his head and whinnied in frustration. His grandmother had always told him 'don't stick your head where your bum can't follow'. But that was exactly what Takeru had done. He had gotten halfway- and he was stuck.

Akari loved Luke.

Luke loved Akari.

And there was Takeru, stuck in the middle, desperately trying to work everything out. Why him? He never asked for this. Why was it always _him?_

He emerged from under the duvet and looked around the room. He smiled despite himself. He had grown quite fond of Akari's quaint little house, with its woody scent and creaks in the furniture. It wasn't anything like his house in the city, the house he had grown up in- but he felt he had lived in Waffle Town all his life. For the first time in his life, Takeru felt like he had a home. And he didn't want that to change.

And then he realised.

He didn't want Akari to sell the farm. He didn't want to leave. In the four months he had spent in Waffle Town, he had grown to love it and its inhabitants. And now Akari expected him to give it all up? He had said she was free to do as she liked with her farm, but... he wouldn't do it. He wasn't going to leave. He was sick of being the one to roll over and play dead whenever the going got tough. Sick of being the only one not brave enough to stand up and say 'this is what _I_ want'.

And sick of being a coward. And of crying all the time. And of being the one that always stood alone; the one who always got the last look-in; the one who people liked to bully; the one who was always picked last for teams and tripped in the playground. And... And... And...

Okay. Enough feeling sorry for myself, Takeru decided. Everything would work out in the end, he was sure of it. But he could think about that _after_ he'd gotten some sleep.

--

**I got this chapter out fast, eh? It's because I won't be able to use my computer for about two weeks, as it is going out for maintenance. I didn't want to keep you all waiting that long, so I churned this out quickly to tide you over.**

**You know, I don't think this story is worthy of it's 'humour' genre any more! Perhaps I should change it to drama.**

**I realised that Akari was becoming a little hard to like after my latest chapters, so this chapter was partly an attempt to get you to understand her a little more. Also, I'm glad I got to explain Takeru's past a little more. I think he would have been bullied in school, definitely. There's just something about his personality that makes you want to pick on him! Not that I ever would pick on anyone, of course. In fact, I'm more likely to be on the received end! Ha ha ha (sweat-drop).**

**Anyway, bye for two weeks! I hope when I get my computer back I'll have received a review from you- that is, if you have found to time to leave one. I'll get the next chapter up soon after I get old compy back, I hope.**


	26. Realizations, and a Mission

**I'm back! And I apologise for my long break. I've had major writer's block ever since I got my laptop back, so it took me a while to get round to writing this.**

**On another note, though, I recently received a review complaining to me that this story is more of a 'novel' than a 'fanfic'. It was honestly the strangest insult I've ever received- and I'm sure it **_**was**_** meant as one. 'Novel' makes me think of the great literary works of our time, whilst 'fanfic' screams 'SPARKLY VAMPIRES' at me. A sad stereotype, but true. Of course, I'm nowhere near good enough to make a **_**real**_** novel yet!**

--

Akari should have been pleased. She had found someone who was interested in buying her farm, and a rather rich someone at that. She was surprised when she saw the address of the person- a young woman named Julienne Parker- as she lived on the same estate as Takeru used to. Akari thought, with some amusement, that Waffle Town would soon be overrun with upper-class ladies and gentlemen trying in vain to teach the poor residents a little culture.

Ms Parker was offering quite a large sum of money for Akari's land. Enough to pay off the rest of Akari's university fees and still have some left over. Akari should have been thrilled.

But she wasn't.

This was it. There was no turning back now. It was truly time to put her past behind her and learn to move on with her life. Her hand was shaking as she picked up the pen. The tiny biro felt as heavy as lead in her fingers.

She pressed the nib of the pen against the dotted line on the paper before her, and stayed there, frozen, for at least two minutes. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

And then she signed her life away.

--

Bo was worried about Luke. He had been worried five months ago, and he was still worried now, and it was eating away at his insides like some evil parasite. He knew Dai felt the same, although he tried not to show it.

It wasn't that Luke was acting all that differently. He still had a friendly smile for anyone who happened to drop by the carpentry- except perhaps for Juli, who always found enormous pleasure in teasing him. And he wasn't working any better or worse than usual, either.

But it was the sheer normality that Luke put on that worried Bo so much. He knew he wasn't happy, and Luke had never been one to bottle things up before, so why now? Sometimes Bo would look at him and see such hurt in his eyes, but if ever Luke were to catch him staring, he would plaster a grin on his face and make some stupid comment.

He had been like that ever since Akari left. Bo knew he blamed himself for her departure, but he couldn't help but notice that Luke had never once said that he was sad or angry or upset that she had gone. Bo figured that he just didn't want to talk about it, but he could see that it was hurting him inside. And it was hurting him a lot.

Bo stood back and caught his breath. He let out a pitiful sigh. The order Takeru had put in was near ridiculous. He wanted the spare plot of land by the river upgrading. The house there was little more than a shack, so the amount of lumber Bo and Luke had to cut was stupidly high. Bo would never say it, but it was times like these when he considered giving up carpentry altogether. Cutting lumber was slow, repetitive work that guaranteed that every muscle in your body would be stiff as a board the next day. Bo had always preferred the more creative side of woodwork.

"What do you think he wants the place furnishing for anyway?" Bo called over his shoulder to Luke.

"Dunno," Luke grunted between swings of his axe. "He's weird, though. You can never tell what he's thinking."

"You think he's up to something?"

"Nah," Luke shook his head. "He's way too much of a goody-two-shoes. Although..."

"Although what?" Bo asked, frowning.

"Nothing. It doesn't matter anyway." Luke shrugged and went back to his work.

"We should stop for the day," Bo declared. "Its past five and you've been working for hours. You'll hurt yourself."

"I won't. You pack up. I'll stay here for a bit," Luke said without looking at Bo.

Bo sighed. "Luke, what's wrong with you?"

Luke stopped for a moment. "What do you mean?"

"You're not yourself. Well, you _are_, but that's the problem. I know you're unhappy about Akari, so why do you never talk about it?" Bo asked sadly. "_Please,_ Luke. I'm worried about you. I know how things were between the two of you..."

"Maybe I will go home now," Luke said, putting down his work tools and heading for the door.

"Luke, _no,"_ Bo said firmly, raising his voice. Luke stopped in his tracks and Bo sighed. "You have to stop pretending, Luke. I know how you felt... I saw how you looked at her... But she's _gone_, Luke, and that was her decision. You didn't make her do it. Sometimes... Sometimes you just have to accept things and move on."

Bo looked over expectantly at Luke. He didn't turn his back to face him or respond in any way to his words. Instead, he stood, as if frozen, for a moment, before opening the door of the carpentry and marching out, slamming the door behind him.

"Shut up, Bo."

What was he talking about 'how he felt'? The way he looked at her? In the back of his mind Luke recalled having thought almost the same thing once before, at Kotomi and Juli's wedding. The way Juli and Kotomi gazed into each other's eyes with such happiness and devotion and... love...

Luke shook his head furiously and increased his march to a full-out sprint down the winding paths and up to the Goddess's tree. With a sudden burst of frustration, he kicked the side of the tree as hard as he could- and ended up with a throbbing toe.

He leaned against the majestic tree and sighed. "Sorry, lady..." he muttered.

Stupid Bo. Why did he have to bring Akari up _now?_ He didn't want to think about it any more than he already did. It hurt too much. How could Bo tell him to just 'accept it and move on'? That would be impossible. He couldn't accept that Akari was truly never coming back. He _wouldn't_ accept it. She had to come back sometime. And then he could put things right. He could talk things over and show her how much she really meant and tell her... Tell her what? There was so much to say and Luke had no idea how to say it. How could he put all those embarrassing feelings into words?

"Akari, when I'm with you my heart starts pounding and my head gets all fuzzy and my stomach starts jumping and I can't breathe properly and I get all these weird thoughts and when you're not here it feels like half my body's missing."

Yeah, right! He couldn't say that! He might as well give her a free pass to laugh at him.

Luke had to get his emotions in check. He knew that. He knew that what he felt for Akari was unlike anything he'd ever felt before. When he looked at Leena and Tao, Juli and Kotomi, and when he remembered some distant memory of his mother and father, he thought about Akari and him. They could be like that, he thought. He wouldn't mind spending the rest of his life with Akari. In fact, it would be pretty good.

But that was stupid. _He_ was stupid for thinking it. Akari and him... Him and Akari...

Luke raised his hand to cover his mouth. Even five months on, he could still feel Akari's lips against his. He wondered... was it okay to feel the way he did? Was it okay to want to hold Akari and in his arms and kiss her and...

It wasn't _that_ strange, surely? Other people did it; it was only natural.

As if to confirm his thoughts, Takeru and Roomi passed him by, both absorbed in conversation. They didn't even notice Luke was there. He smiled. Those two were getting along well recently. Takeru had grown on Roomi, as he knew he would, but she would still deny it furiously if anyone mentioned it. And then she went and contradicted herself by spending so much time with him.

But she wasn't the only one who had changed. Takeru had too, though so slowly that most failed to notice it. Maybe it was because Luke had been close to him from when he first arrived in Waffle Town that he noticed how much stronger Takeru had become. He no longer had to drag himself around because his muscles had adapted to the work, and he rarely cried any more. At least not in public. Luke didn't know about when he was alone- once he had called for him to find his eyes all red. It turned out that he had been sobbing over some cheesy chick flick. Luke had teased him for days.

Thinking about it, Luke realised that a lot had changed during Akari's absence. Including him. But why did it have to take Akari leaving for him to change? Maybe... in the end, it would turn out to be a good thing. It was helping him to grow up. Grow up and realise that what he felt for Akari... wasn't just friendship.

And realise that maybe what he felt for her might be that thing that people called 'love'.

--

Takeru turned to Roomi, smiling ruefully. "I ought to go home now," he said.

"What?" said Roomi, offended. "It's barely six o'clock. You've been doing this a lot recently. You'll make me suspicious!"

"I'm on a secret mission," Takeru said dramatically, and Roomi pretended to hit him.

"Yeah, right," she smiled. "You're up to no good, I can tell! And after I take time out of my busy schedule to see you, too."

"Are you disappointed?" Asked Takeru teasingly.

"No, of course not! I still don't like you," Roomi replied defiantly. "You care too much."

"Whereas _you_ don't care at all, right?"

"_Right," _Roomi agreed, nodding. "Well, anyway, you can at least walk me home first."

She and Takeru walked down the path towards the tailor's in silence. Though not a word was spoken, the quietness was not awkward in the slightest, and the sound of the summer breeze was pleasant. At intervals they would look at each other, then smile and look away, as if sharing some private joke.

They stopped just in front of Roomi's house. Roomi turned around so that she was facing Takeru.

"Hey," she said huffily. "Sorry for being rude to you before. It wasn't very nice of me."

Takeru laughed nervously. "It's fine, honestly! I'd almost forgotten about it, it was so long ago..."

"Liar," said Roomi accusingly, and then she smiled. "Well, you've got your stupid mission to deal with, so I guess I should let you go." She suddenly took his hands in her and pulled him over towards her house, where she stood on the doorstep. She frowned as she saw that she still only came up to his shoulders, then rolled her eyes and hopped up to peck him on the nose.

Takeru jumped back as if he had been stung, clamping his hand over his nose.

"You... wha... why... I-I-I..."

Roomi scowled at him, then folded her arms and looked away, her cheeks pink. "I missed," she grumbled, and turned on her heel and hurried into her house, slamming the door behind her.

"I... Erm..." Takeru struggled with himself for a moment, before blurting at the closed door of the tailor's, "I have to go home now!" and turning and running away at full speed.

--

Meanwhile, a certain blue-haired carpenter was just arriving back at his house.

"Dad," said Luke, taking a deep breath. "I think I love her."

--

**I think a lot of you are probably thinking '**_**finally!'**_** right now! I know, I know, it took me a while to get round to having Luke realise his feelings, and truthfully I'm not completely happy with how I did it. It feels like I was just rambling a bit. But I've had a long break and I owe you all this chapter. I hope you don't feel cheated!**

**If you don't know who Takeru will be with now, I don't think you'll ever know... But anyway, I hope you have at least a vague idea of what his 'secret mission' involves! But if you don't then it doesn't matter because I will reveal it later on.**

**Over the last few chapters, a few people have been asking me for 'their' happy ending. I understand that people want to see a happy ending soon, and I don't mind people saying that to me or even making helpful suggestions, but when people have a whinge and tell me how to write my story, it gets a little annoying. If you hadn't realised about twenty chapters ago that this wasn't going to be a story where everything works out all rosy in three chapters, I'd say that you're in serious need of an eye test. If you want a short story where the main characters fall in love and marry in less than ten chapters, try one of the hundreds of other fanfics in this section. I'm sorry if I sound harsh here, because the majority of people accept that love is a slow-moving process and don't whine at me about it. I know it's agonizing when a story moves as slowly as mine, and I accept that you may get frustrated, but I'm not forcing you to read it. I'm writing this for fun, and for the benefit of all the people who enjoy my writing.**

**Sorry for the rant folks, please bear in mind that it's aimed at the minority! As always I'm open to constructive criticism and suggestions for later chapter, so please review and tell me what you think!**


	27. Undercover

**I was struck with inspiration for this chapter and just had to write it up right away! It works out well, seeing as I made you wait so long for the last chapter.**

--

"Dad," said Luke. "I think I love her."

Dai almost choked.

"What do you mean?" he sputtered. He had never thought that he'd ever be hearing those words leave his son's lips, especially not with such calmness. "Love who?"

"_Akari,"_ said Luke excitedly. "All that time I was wondering why I was acting the way I was, remember? And I've been thinking about it for a while and I finally realised- I love her! I'm in love with Akari, Dad!" A broad grin broke out over his face at the sheer happiness of finally being able to say it.

Dai got up from his seat and walked over to Luke. "Son..."

"I'm... in love..." Luke smiled at Dai, and tears suddenly sprang to his eyes. His eyes widened. "Ah..." He quickly raised his hand to wipe his eyes. He was still smiling, though the tears were spilling over his cheeks and he was crying for the first time since he was a child.

"I love her, Dad," he said, wiping furiously at his face.

Dai put his arm around Luke's shoulders awkwardly. "I know, son," he said quietly. "I know."

Luke stared at his father, his eyes still welling up. "Why does my chest hurt?" he whispered, but somehow he already knew the answer.

Akari meant more to him that he had ever realised. He loved her, he loved her so much.

And he was never going to see her again.

--

Takeru was still grinning inanely as he entered his house. His skin still tingled where Roomi had kissed him. He couldn't deny that she had surprised him. He was pleased that she felt comfortable enough to show her soft side around him. He remembered how prettily she had blushed after kissing him.

He sat down on his bed, which was still as flat and lumpy as ever. What would he say if Roomi were to confess to him? She'd probably act all grumpy and say things bluntly. "I like you, you know." She would probably say something like that. But shouldn't he say something first, being the man? He had to work out something deep and romantic that would sweep her off her feet.

Takeru felt his cheeks begin to burn. He picked up his pillow and hugged it tightly to his chest, hiding his face in it.

Suddenly he threw it back down on the bed.

"I-I forgot!"

He quickly scrambled over to the phone and began dialling. After a few rings, a loud, accented voice of woman was heard down the line.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Jen, how are you?" Takeru asked, smiling, pleased that she was in.

"Takeru, it's you!" Julienne's matter-of-fact tone instantly withered and died and was replaced by a bouncy chatter. "All right, what do you want?" she asked jokingly.

"I wanted to know if you received the papers, of course!" Takeru replied. "So, have they arrived yet? It would be most convenient if they were to arrive as soon as possible, you know, because I really don't want Akari-"

"Takeru, _Takeru,_ calm down! I got them," Julienne said quickly before he had a chance to start babbling. "You want me to send them to you, right?"

"Yes, if you would, Jen, that would be brilliant," Takeru said gratefully. "You're _such_ a good friend for doing this, I really am so sorry for asking it of you..."

"It makes no difference to me- it's fun! A pleasant distraction from my job. And _who_ is the one paying for it?"

"W-Well, _I_ am, but still-"

"Then it doesn't matter!" Julienne dismissed. Takeru could almost see her waving her hand flippantly, the way she always did when she was a teenager. "Everyone's suspicious, though, what with all the letter and paperwork to sort out. But I've got the deed now, so it's all worked out fine. But do you _really_ think this is going to work, Tak?"

"I don't know," Takeru admitted with a sigh. "But it's worth a try, right? Akari isn't happy in the city, I know she's not, but she's too proud to come back of her own accord. Sometimes a little gentle persuasion works, Jen!"

Julienne sighed. "If you say so," she said.

"You won't tell anyone, will you?" Takeru asked, and she laughed.

"Did I tell anyone when I walked in on you kissing my brother?"

"_J-Jen!"_ Takeru's face was instantly tomato red and he was grateful that Julienne couldn't see him. "I-I-_I_ wasn't the one who- h-_he_ was the one who k-kissed _me, _I _told_ you!"

"You weren't putting up much of a fight, though, were you?" Julienne teased.

"I told him to stop!"

"Yes, of course- 'N-No, stop, please, not here... S-Some might see us. Ahh!'" Julienne said in a breathless voice.

"I-I-I did _not_ say _that!"_ Takeru protested feebly. He hid his face in his pillow again.

"And in _my_ room, too! I couldn't leave you boys alone for a second!"

"Jen, please stop it..." Takeru begged, hugging his knees to his chest and blushing furiously. He began to sniff.

"Oh no! Don't cry, Takeru, I was only teasing! I know you didn't really say that- don't cry!" Julienne cried out, suddenly panicked. Takeru smiled.

"Hey, who says I'm going to cry? It's rather stupid to be reduced to tears by something so trivial, don't you agree?" he said proudly.

"What..." Julienne sounded stunned, which only made Takeru's smile grow. "What's happen to _you_, Takeru? Usually you'd be bawling by now! Country life must have toughened you up. Matthew better be worried. By the time you come back you might just be able to top him!"

Takeru eyes widened and his face blazed again. "It was just a one-time thing with him, and you know it!" he spluttered. "I'm honestly not interested in _anything_ like that!"

"You keep telling yourself that, honey," Julienne sang. "Anyway, you're too late. Matthew already has a boyfriend."

Takeru's face lit up. "Will they be getting married any time soon? C-Can I come to the wedding?"

"Oh, _God!_" Julienne faked exasperation. "You sound like my mother! She's desperate to marry me and Matthew off, you know. She's pleased because Jay- that's Matthew's partner- is a doctor, so he's rather well-off. She thinks I'll never be able to find a good husband because I'm already nearly thirty- can you believe it?"

"O-Oh dear..." Takeru murmured. "But Matthew _is_ getting married?"

"It's called a 'Civil Partnership'," Julienne stated. "But yes, I think it's likely... You're not _jealous_ are you?"

"No, of course not!" Takeru said. "Actually, right now I'm... you know."

"You're what? Oh. _Oh. _You're seeing someone?" Julienne's voice perked up excitedly. "_So,_ man or a woman?"

"W-Well, I'm not exactly _seeing_ her in _that_ way, but we're... well, I am very fond of her..." Takeru mumbled shyly.

"A woman, I see," Julienne chuckled.

"For the last time, I'm not interested in m-men! It was a one-time thing with Matthew, h-he was teaching me how to kiss properly..." Takeru said, sighing.

"I thought you had a boyfriend when you were in college?"

"Th-That was _different!"_

"Of course it was. Now, come on, tell me about this girlfriend of yours!" Julienne urged.

"She's not my girlfriend! Honestly, Jen, how did we get on to this topic of conversation?" Takeru sighed. "My phone bill will be enormous. And all I wanted was to see if the deed had arrived! You will remember to send it to me, won't you? The address is-"

"I _know_ the address, you've only told me fifteen times!" Julienne interrupted. "I'll see you later Takeru. I want to see how much you've grown up!"

"Bye, Jen. And thank you so much for this."

Takeru sighed happily as he put the phone down. Everything was going according to plan. And by the sounds of things they had another wedding in their midst! He frowned- perhaps it would be wrong for him to attend Matthew's 'Civil Partnership'. It might make tings awkward for Matthew- what was he supposed to say when Jay asked how he knew him? He could just say he was a friend of the family and leave out that brief time when he was fourteen and Matthew, sixteen, but he knew how terrible a liar he was...

He wondered when the deed to the farm would arrive. He had gotten past the tricky part- that was getting Akari to forfeit the deed officially- and given the middle man a break- the middle man (woman) being Julienne. Now all he had to do was put a fist-class stamp on an envelope and post it to Akari.

Almost as soon as had he thought this with some satisfaction, the phone rang again. Takeru rolled his eyes as he picked up the receiver.

"Jen?"

"_Takeru Morgan!"_

"Oh bloody hell." Takeru quickly clamped his hand over the phone, his eyes wide and wild. Had he really just said that? Stupid, stupid, stupid! His hand shaking, he slowly raised the phone back to his ear.

"S-Sorry, Mummy," he said quietly.

"I should say! What a way to talk to your own mother!" His mother's voice was like fingernails on a chalkboard. Takeru winced.

"I shan't beat around the bush Takeru, I'll be frank," she began. "Your father and I have put up with this farming nonsense for long enough. Father said that you'd tire of it and come home eventually, but it's been over five months now and we've had enough. I've spent the last _month_ trying to get in touch with you, I'll have you know!"

"Yes, Mummy, I'm sorry. I'm not in my house often, you see..." Takeru said meekly.

"Anyway, you're to come home _this instant_, do you understand? I shan't have you frittering your life away on a _farm_ surrounded by filthy beasts! That place has obviously been a bad influence on you from the very start. No child of mine will be spending his life knee-deep in manure, I'll tell you _that_ for nothing!" his mother snapped.

"But..." Takeru stared at his feet helplessly. "But Mummy, I..."

"No '_but's_, Takeru! You will do as I say or God help me!" Takeru could almost feel her sharp grey eyes piercing into him from over the phone. He curled up where he sat on the bed, his eyes welling with tears. He forgot all about how much stronger he had gotten over the past five months. In that moment, he was a little boy again, being scolded by his mother for doing wrong.

"Honestly, I can't believe you would be so _stupid,"_ his mother continued. "Your father always said you were trouble from day one, and I always defended you. And yet you seem determined to prove him right. First you go on about all that ridiculous 'art' business, and now this."

Takeru flinched as if she had slapped him. Hell, if they were talking face-to-face, she probably _would_ have slapped him. And the old Takeru would have just taken it without a word. But he wasn't the same Takeru he was five months ago, and he knew it. Five months ago, he would have felt ashamed and upset. Now, he just felt _angry._

"You will return the farm to that _tramp_ of a girl you _insist_ on socialising with, and come home _at once," _his mother concluded, but Takeru barely heard. His blood was roaring in his ears, and all he knew was that he was angry.

"No, Mummy," he said quietly.

There was a stunned pause.

"_Excuse _me?" his mother gasped eventually.

"I said no. I'm not coming back. _This_ is my home now, Mummy, and I like it here. So sorry, but... I'm really not sorry at all," Takeru said. His voice was shaking, but he felt stronger than he had in ages.

"...I see the country air has affected you more than I thought," his mother said. She sounded as if she was about to retch. "Are you going to stop this silly charade _right now_, Takeru- or am I going to have to put your father on the line?"

"You can put him on, if you please," Takeru said. "I have to tell him that I've decided to become an artist."

"T-Takeru!" his mother yelped, but her voice didn't sound frightening any more. She just sounded shocked and desperate. "_Listen_ to me-"

"No," Takeru interrupted calmly. "No, Mummy, _you_ listen to _me_ for a change, please. All my life I've been doing my best to please you and Daddy. I didn't complain when you forbade me to leave the house because you didn't want me playing with the other children. I didn't grumble when you insisted on giving me exam papers during the holidays and forced adult-level literature on me. I didn't say a word about you sending me to school in _shorts_ all the way up until I was _fourteen._ I took all the insults and the orders. I trained as a lawyer like you wanted me to. I did it _all, _I did it _all _for _you._" By this time, not only was his voice shaking, but his entire body. "But did you _once_ ask me what _I_ wanted?" He was vaguely aware of his voice growing louder and higher. "No, you didn't, because it was never about me. It was always about you and Daddy."

Takeru took a deep breath, trying to steady his trembling body and calm his ever-rising voice. "But, you know, I've realised something. Nothing I do will ever be good enough. Will it, Mummy? So for once I've decided to do what _I_ want. And this is what I want."

"Takeru..." his mother whispered, horrified. "I... We only want what's best for you, darling..."

"Then you'll let me do this," Takeru said gently. He was about to put the phone down when he heard his mother shriek.

"_Takeru!"_

He raised the phone calmly back to his ear. "Yes?" All he was met with was his mother's laboured breathing and incoherent stutters as she struggled to find the words she wanted. Takeru allowed himself a bitter smile.

"Oh, and before I go, I have one more thing to say," he said. "Tell Daddy that when you walked in on me and Damian that time... We _were_ kissing." He heard a clatter as his mother dropped the phone with a cry, but he hung up before she could say another word.

Takeru sat there on his bed, completely still and silent, for about a minute. Then a smile began to find its way to his face. He felt happy. And relieved. And released. For the first time in his life it felt as if he wasn't bound by heavy chains, and he was _free._

He slept sounder that night than he had ever slept before.

--

**My favourite part of this chapter: "Oh bloody hell."**

**Takeru is fast becoming my favourite character so I've wanted a chapter focused mainly on him and developing his past for a while. Looking back at his first appearance, he's really changed a lot, and I wanted to show that. I've known for a while that I wanted to make either Takeru or Akari bisexual, and it just seemed to fit with this chapter. Especially as some people have mentioned before in reviews that Takeru acts 'gay'! It doesn't really have a massive effect on the story, but I think it might explain some things.**

**I went into Takeru's past a little here. I tried to show that it was obviously far from perfect, but I still wanted to keep it believable. Pressure from parents to do well is still very common, unfortunately- especially amongst the upper classes, or so I've heard. And Takeru had to have gotten all the confidence kicked out of him somehow!**

**I wish I could have spent more time with Dai and Luke in this chapter- maybe I'll edit it later, because I can't think of anything more right now.**

**Anyway, Takeru's plan will come into action next chapter. And I'm glad Luke finally showed some sadness over Akari's leaving, because it's just not healthy to bottle things up! The next chapter will also be focused entirely on Akari.**

**Please read and review as usual. Again, I know this story isn't to everyone's taste, but please bear in mind that I'm not forcing you to read it. Only read what you enjoy, that's what I think! I wouldn't want to waste anyone's time.**


	28. Just Visiting

**The first thing I have to say is 'ARGH!', because I haven't updated in over a month and have been wanting to. School has started again recently, after out summer holiday, and it's my final year in school (we start college at sixteen here in England), so everyone's really piling on the pressure (and the homework!).**

**This chapter is focused solely on Akari, so enjoy!**

**--**

Akari unlocked the door of her apartment and practically fell inside. The walk home from university was a terrible strain on such short legs. She rubbed her calves and sighed in annoyance. She would never have gotten so out of breath when she was in Waffle Town- her farm made sure she kept in shape. But here in the city all she seemed to feed on were takeaways and slim-fast milkshakes. She patted her belly and frowned. She had definitely put on a bit of weight since she returned to the city.

She laughed aloud suddenly and bitterly as she shut the door behind her and collapsed on the mouldy-smelling sofa. It was almost half a year since she left Waffle Town, and yet she still thought about it, every day.

"Mum, you here?" she called out. No reply came, and Akari simply shrugged it off. Her mum was probably doing extra time at the supermarket where she worked.

She leaned over to the door, dragging her top half off the sofa but leaving her legs spread out on it, and picked up the few letters from the doorstep. She pulled herself back with an 'ugh' of effort and lay down on the cushions, holding the letters above her head.

There was an electricity bill, which she recognised from the logo, addressed to her mother and a note informing them that they were both due a dentist's appointment. And a large brown envelope with a handwritten address on it.

Akari sat up. She knew that handwriting, with those exaggerated loops and curls. It was Takeru's handwriting.

She ripped open the envelope and gasped. It was the deed to her farm, along with all the paperwork. Ms Parker and Takeru had filled in all the necessary boxes, and even signed the agreement at the end. All that remained was the empty line underneath the words 'Buyer Signature'.

Akari alternately stared at the deed and the paperwork for a few minutes before coming to her senses and fumbling through the large envelope, searching frantically for a note of explanation. She found a single, small white sheet of paper.

_I thought you might need this._

_Takeru x_

And that was all it said. Frowning, Akari turned the note over.

_(PS. You can pay me back later)_

Akari gaped at it for a moment. Then she burst out laughing. Just from those few sentences, she could tell how much Takeru had changed. She shook her head.

And before she knew it she was rooting through the cupboards for a pen. But as she held the biro tightly over the contract, she stopped. She sighed deeply and slowly put the pen down.

After all she had gone through for the past five and a half months, was she really going to give up and throw it all away? In another year or two she could take her final exams and become a vet for real. And then there was Mark. Mark...

Akari wasn't sure how long she could keep their phony relationship up. She liked him, she liked him a lot. But she couldn't bring herself to love him, not in the way she loved Luke. Even if she did decide to stay in the city, she knew she would have to break up with him sooner or later.

"Now what am I going to do?" Akari asked herself aloud. Since she had the deed in her hands, and Takeru had signed it away to her, that meant he was no longer legally in possession of the farm. Was that his way of telling her that he was tired of working there...?

If that was that case, then why didn't he just let her sell that blasted farm and be done with it?

Akari smirked at herself. She knew Takeru was smarter than that. All that time, he had known exactly how she felt, that she wanted to go back but was too proud to. This was his idea of giving her a push in the right direction.

She shook her head. She wasn't that weak.

"Sorry, Tak," she muttered, and she put the paperwork and deed back into the envelope. She would have to send it back to him quickly, before she got any stupid ideas.

She heaved herself off the lumpy sofa and set about making her tea- instant noodles from a plastic cup. She set the kettle and poured the boiling water onto the yellowed noodles. She ate them straight from the cup whilst watching a terrible repeat of daytime television on their old, crackly TV.

A tear slowly trickled down her cheek and plopped into her noodle cup. It was quickly joined by another and another. She didn't bother to wipe them away, or even try to stop them.

She stuffed the remains of her noodles into her mouth and sat back against the back of the sofa, the mouldy stench filling her nostrils. She wrinkled her nose discriminately, but didn't move. Instead she closed her eyes and began to slowly fall asleep, the irritating laughter of the TV hostess fading in her ears...

Akari awoke abruptly to a loud knock at the door. She groaned and pulled a cushion over her head.

"Mum, could you get that?" she called out. No reply. Akari rolled her eyes. Most likely it was her mother at the door, as she often forgot her keys.

Akari got up off the sofa and dragged herself to the door. "Mum, is that you?" she asked tiredly as she unlocked the door.

But when she opened it, it wasn't her mum who she found stood outside.

It was Dai.

"Hello, Akari," he said seriously, no trace of a smile on his face.

"Oh," Akari squeaked after her initial shock. "H-Hello, Dai, would you like to come in? I'll put the kettle on, what would you like?"

She quickly withdrew into the apartment and began busying herself with the mugs and cutlery and coffee beans, not looking at Dai once; though she heard him enter and close the door behind him, then a heaving sigh as he sat down on the place's only armchair.

She heaped the coffee into the mugs, giving herself an extra dose. She was sure she would need it. She shuffled over to Dai, steaming mugs in hand, and gave him one.

"Thank you," Dai said. Akari nodded in reply, perching herself on the arm of the sofa and sipping slowly from her cup. She watched Dai cast a critical eye over the apartment and cringed, wishing she had taken the time to clean the coffee stains from the tables and tidied away the past week's worth of takeaway boxes that littered the floor.

Dai looked at her. "I think you know I didn't come here for coffee, Akari," he said.

"How did you know where I was?" Akari asked quietly. Then she added in a whisper, "It was Takeru, wasn't it?"

"No," Dai replied quickly. "Well, not exactly. He said he was writing a letter to you and I saw the address on the envelope before he posted it."

"So you were spying on him," Akari said with a hint of accusation in her voice.

"No," Dai answered calmly. "He told me of his plans to write to you of his own accord, and the fact that I happened to see your address was a complete coincidence."

Akari raised her eyebrows. A coincidence, _sure._

"You didn't tell anyone, did you?" She asked worriedly.

Dai shook his head. "I didn't know for sure that it was your address until I got here. I was just taking a chance. My wife always told me to go with your intuition, and that's what I did." He lowered his voice. "And I know having the whole village coming over here would be that last thing you want."

Akari nodded. "Thank you." She forced a smile. "So," she declared. "You said you didn't come here to chat, so I'm guessing you need something, right?"

"Yes," Dai said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled, yellowing piece of paper and handed it to her.

Akari frowned and unfolded the paper. Her eyes widened as she scanned the full page of writing, taking in words but not meanings. It was the second time that day she had seen handwriting she recognised. Unlike Takeru's, this writing was big and bold and wobbled unevenly up and down the page.

"This is Luke's handwriting," she whispered. He jerked her head to look at Dai before she let herself read it. "Where did you get this?"

"On the counter of the carpentry. Luke must have left it there," Dai stated plainly. "It's addressed to you. I read it, and well... I think it's important that you do too."

Akari's face crumpled into an accusing frown. "You _read_ it?" she hissed.

"I'm Luke's father; I didn't think I was doing anything wrong," said Dai defensively. "And be glad I _did_ read it, otherwise you wouldn't have gotten the chance to."

Akari sighed and shook her head. First the deed, now this. Suddenly it felt as if her whole world had come crashing down on her. "I'm sorry, Dai, but I can't read this," she whispered. "I gave up on Luke and Waffle Town half a year ago. I can't just throw away the life I've been living since then."

"I think you can," Dai said, getting up and heading for the door. "Whether you will, that's up to you."

Akari stood up. She clenched her fists, crumpling the letter. "This is going straight in the bin, I promise!" She said angrily. "And you can tell Luke that!"

"Luke doesn't know I'm here. He thinks I came to reserve a spot for market day," Dai told her. "But I'll tell you this, Akari. He misses you. We all do. But don't think we're going to wait forever."

"_I_ was the one waiting!" Akari was shouting now. "I waited for _years_ for Luke to realise how much I loved him, but he never did. And I couldn't live like that any more, and _that's_ why I had to leave!"

"If you want something Akari, you can't just wait around for it to find you. You have to go and get it yourself. I thought you'd know that better than anyone," Dai said, stepping outside. "But for some reason you and Luke are scared of doing that. I don't want to spend the rest of my life watching my son regretting the past. Anyone can see _he's_ not going to do anything about it any time soon- so _I_ had to."

"I'm not here because I'm scared. I'm here because I want a new life," Akari said, storming over to the door and slamming her hands down on the doorframe.

"You _are_ scared," Dai insisted. "You're scared of what everyone would think if you suddenly decided to come back. You're scared of facing Luke again after how you two parted. And you're not the only one- he's scared too, that you might hate him or that you've fallen in love with someone else."

"And what if I have?" Akari snapped, hating that she was the only one losing her temper. "I'm not going to spend the rest of my life waiting for Luke. _He_ was the one who was oblivious to me for year- and now he's worried that I might have fallen in love with someone else?"

"He's _changed,_ Akari-"

"And so have I!" Akari shouted, and she slammed the door with such ferocity that yet another crack appeared in the dry plastered wall. Then she gasped and put her hand over her mouth. Crumpling to the floor she whispered, "I'm sorry, Dai, I'm so sorry..."

She looked down at the scrappy piece of paper she still held in her hand. Slowly and with shaking hands, she unfolded it and held it up to read.

"Oh..." The writing on the page began to blur, and soon fresh tears began falling from her eyes and splattering onto the letter, joining the few watery stains that were already there. "Oh Luke, we've both been so stupid..."

--

**And there we have it! Damn, I really wanted to write Luke's letter in this chapter, but after some thought I've decided that the next chapter will be the contents of his letter and nothing else, because that way it will seen a bit more important, I think. Plus I'm evil and want to leave you all wondering- though I'm sure you all have a vague idea of what it says!**

**I had to put Dai in there- that's actually what I had been planning to do along. I'm glad he got to tell Akari off a bit. She and Luke are still so young, so it's good for them to hear some wise words from the older generation to help them later in life.**

**I'm not so sure this chapter was worth the wait, to be honest... But it was necessary because it's a turning point in Akari's life. I had to introduce the deed and the letter somehow, but they're both such normal things (even though they mean a lot to Akari) that it's difficult to make it dramatic. Ah well, maybe a little taste of 'normal life' will do the story good!**

**Please read and review as usual, and sorry again for the wait!**


	29. Luke's Letter

Dear Akari,

How are you? I bet you're fine, though Dad always told me to start letters like that because it's politer. Not that I need to worry about that anyway. It's not like you'll read this! I always say that don't I? Sometimes I wish you would be able to read my letters, especially this one. At least they wouldn't be spilling out from under my bed any more! Sometimes I surprise myself by how much I manage to write.

Anyway, I haven't mentioned how everyone is lately, so I think I owe you a big update. You can't enjoy listening to me ramble on and on about me and you, right!

I'll start off with the big news. Leena and Tao are going to have a baby! (Yes, I _do_ know how that works, before you ask! You've been spending way too much time around Juli, you know!) They've been married a while now, so everyone's been expecting it, it was just a matter of when. They don't know if it's a boy or a girl yet, we'll just have to wait and see. Takeru's really worked up about it. He got all red and embarrassed when he found out, but now he keeps asking them if they've got the baby's room sorted out and whether they've bought all the things they'll need and whatever. To be honest I think he's getting on their nerves!

Speaking of Takeru, you'll never guess what he's done! He's only gone and moved into the hilltop plot! I was wondering why he wanted that old house all done up like that; now that I think about it, it's obvious. Don't worry, he's still taking care of your farm, along with Anise, but he's got his own place now. I guess that means he's here for good! Plus he and Roomi will have somewhere to live when they eventually get together... Oh, come on, don't look a me like that! Is it really that surprising? I've learned a lot about 'relationships' since you left. I figured it out all on my own, too. That's actually what I wanted to write to you about.

Oh my God, I actually said it! I suppose I'll have to get on with it now, or else you'll be nagging me about it forever.

Okay, here goes everything I've got.

Since you left, Akari, I've been thinking a lot. I mean, more than I've ever thought in my whole life. And don't you dare say 'Well that's not much' or anything like that! Ha ha, sorry. I'm making jokes, trying to get off the subject, aren't I? I knew you'd notice. Just so you know this might take a while! It took me forever to get my head around it, so it's going to be even harder telling it to you.

I've been watching Tao and Leena and Juli and Kotomi, and even Takeru and Roomi, and I see them, how they look at each other, how happy they are, and I think 'yeah, that's love'. I never understood that before. But I do now.

Because, Akari, you leaving was the wake-up call I needed. If you hadn't, I would've probably spent the rest of my life chopping away in the field, never having to worry about anything or anyone, just wasting away the batteries until it was too late. When you went away it felt like someone had snatched away my axe and whacked me in the chest with it. I didn't think I would ever stop bleeding. It still hurts now.

But that pain makes sure I don't fall asleep again. I couldn't just go back to my old life, the life I had before you even arrived here. It had always seemed so simple, so carefree, but you came along and made it special. When you went away you left an empty space in my life that I couldn't fill, no matter how hard I tried. When I realised I wouldn't be able to fill it, I tried to ignore it, but I couldn't do that either, and I don't think I'll be able to any time soon.

So, anyway, love. Yeah. I didn't even know what it was when you confessed to me, not really. Or maybe I did and just didn't realise it. But I _do_ know _now._ I don't know how it happened, but it did. It was like, I don't know, I was living in a dark room all my life and suddenly someone switched on the light. Everything makes sense now. It's so simple and so complicated at the same time. But for the first time in three years I'm not confused, because I know just what's going on with me.

Akari, I think I love you.

No, not think. I _know._

There, I said it! You don't know how long I waited before writing that. I was stuck with my pen pressed against the page for about ten minutes wondering whether or not I could do it! That's why there's a big ink stain just after your name.

So, I love you Akari. I think I've loved you for a long, long time, though I never realised it before. I really feel like kicking myself. But I'm going to feel that way even more in a minute, after I tell you this:

I love you Akari, and you said you would wait for me, you would wait for as long as it took for me to wake up and finally love you back. I know you meant it Akari. I know that, but... you have to let me go. I heard from Takeru a while ago that you had met someone else, someone who loves you and didn't wait years to realise it. I don't know who he is, but I'll tell you something. He'd better give you everything you've ever wanted that you couldn't get from me. And if he ever hurts you... Well, I suppose I'm not one to give lectures about hurting you.

I want you to be happy, Akari. And I can see now that you weren't happy with me; that's why you left. I love you, and I want what's best for _you._ And if that means spending the rest of my life thinking about what might have been, then that's what I'll do. But I only have one thing to ask of you.

Be happy. Please, just be happy. Let yourself love your new boyfriend, if you don't already. You need to forget all about me and live your life how you wanted to before I messed it all up. Don't think it doesn't hurt to write this, because it does. A lot. Heck, it feel like someone's tearing my body apart and setting me on fire. But I'll bear it, because I love you more than that.

I know that there's little chance that we'll ever be together now. I haven't accepted it, but I know it. Maybe you knew it too, all those months ago. Maybe that was why you left. I suppose it doesn't really matter now. Nothing feels like it matters, nowadays. Only you. Always you.

I love you Akari, I love you so much.

And that's why this will be my last letter to you.

Goodbye, and good luck,

Luke

–

**I know this is an extremely short chapter, and I apologise for it, but I don't want to spread it out longer than it needs to be for risk of boring you. Plus, I think it's as long as it needs to be. In return for this short chapter, I promise the next chapter will be out a lot sooner than this one was! Next chapter I will focus on Takeru and Roomi, so you'll be left on a bit of a cliffhanger with Luke and Akari I'm afraid!**

**Oh, and I almost forgot. I don't know how I forgot, but I did. I... got Tree of Tranquility! Yes, I did! It was finally released over here, though I've heard that Animal March is going to be released in the US soon. That means it'll probably arrive on European shores by the year 2016! Hurrah! I know you'll all start shouting 'traitor' at this, but I've decided to marry Gill first. I know, I know! I just have a big thing for tsundere characters. That image of Gill blushing and muttering "Don't think I worry about you" is oh-so cliché, but oh-so cute! Hey, I'm not Akari, so I don't have her taste in men! I will, however, be marrying Luna (Roomi) on my male file (who is also tsundere, ha ha ha!). That's odd, as I'm very like Akari and don't share her preferences, and not at all like Takeru, but share his!**

**Anyway, I love the game, it's one of my favourite Harvest Moons ever (if not my favourite, though admittedly I haven't played all of them). I'm going to keep using the rucksack event and eventually get married to every eligible bachelor/bachelorette there is! I'm looking forward to getting my character married to Luke (no surprise there) and Phoebe (Pat), and also seeing the rival children!**

**Please read and review as usual, I would be grateful if you did. I'd also appreciate it if you'd forgive me for being so bad at updating this lately! I swear, that's going to change. School's been piling on the work lately, and I've been suffering from something people call a 'phantom labour' when I start my period (if you can't guess what that is, then don't even try). Hey, at least I know what was wrong with me all those months ago! I'm not trying to make excuses- except with the school work- I just thought you'd like to know! What's that? You didn't? Oh well!**


	30. Real Life Love

**The gaps between chapters have slightly diminished! Hurrah! Hopefully I'll be able to keep this up.**

**--**

Takeru went to meet Roomi after her work at the tailor's ended for the day. It had become a schedule for the two of them over the passing weeks. Takeru had managed to lower his working-time to at least ten in the morning, and rather embarrassingly found himself waiting around for the time to pass until five o'clock when the shop would close and he'd be able to meet her. She would tease him for being so punctual- but she sulked when he was late, too.

They wandered up past Sundae Inn and turned into the Caramel Falls district. Roomi groaned as Takeru lead her up the hill, huffing and snapping as Takeru hurried her. Eventually the two of them stood before Takeru's newly built house.

It wasn't a very big house, or a very beautiful one. It was small and humble, and it's wooden walls were unpainted, the roof made of a simple slate. The windows had not yet been installed to the gaps in the walls. It was no masterpiece by any standard, but it was Takeru's; and the knowledge that it belonged to him, that he had bought it with the money he had earned all by himself, made him prouder than he had ever been before.

Roomi sighed and slid her small hand into Takeru's. "I can't believe you did this," she said quietly, something between a smirk and a smile on her face.

"Aren't you happy?" Takeru asked.

"Yeah." Roomi leaned her head on his shoulder. "Yeah, I suppose." She squeezed his hand and looked up at him, her moonstone eyes showing no sign of a sneer or a rude laugh. Takeru swallowed and cleared his throat awkwardly, averting his eyes from her face. He was horribly aware of his palms turning clammy, and expected Roomi to twist her hand away, but she didn't. She raised one eyebrow and he felt himself blush.

"S-Sorry," he murmured. He pulled his hand back and wiped it on his shirt before letting it drop loosely to his side. He couldn't bring himself to even lift his eyes form the ground.

Roomi sighed and shook her head, and a moment later she hooked her pinky finger around Takeru's. Takeru made a choking noise in the back of his throat, as if he was trying to stop himself blurting out anything stupid.

"Do you..." he began, raising his head, his words dying in his throat as he met Roomi's gaze.

Roomi smirked. "Do I what?" she asked teasingly. Even in the purpling evening light, the bright red glow that took over Takeru's cheeks was unmistakeable.

"N-Nothing," he said.

"Oh, for goodness sake!" Roomi snapped, unable her nice side on show when Takeru was being for infuriating. "What is _with_ you? I mean, I though we were..."

"We are! We are!" Takeru sputtered. "I'm just... not very good at this."

"Rubbish," Roomi dismissed with a wave of her free hand. She turned and began to amble down the hill, side by side with Takeru. "You're a poshie, right?

"Excuse me?"

"An upper-class swot!" Roomi declared. "You know, all that Shakespeare and 'rose and violets' nonsense. I bet you've read all the classic romances right? 'Pride and Prejudice', that sort of thing."

"W-Well, yes..." Takeru admitted. "But it's rather obvious I'm no Mr Darcy..."

"Who?"

"Never mind."

They sat down on a bench at the top of a shallow slope that lead to the beach.

"What I'm trying to say is..." Takeru waved a hand in front of his face as if he could grab the explanation from mid-air. "...Is real life isn't like a love poem. Of course, I rehearse all sorts of romantic things in my head, but when I face you I- oh." Takeru's eyes suddenly widened to the size of saucers in horror as he realised what he had just blurted out. "Oh, _nooo!" _He hid his face in his hands, half-sobbing with embarrassment. How could he have _said_ that, with Roomi hanging on his every word?!

He felt a skinny elbow jab into his side. "Pretend that it is," Roomi said matter-of-factly. Her voice told him she didn't care, her eyes said otherwise.

"Wh... Wha...?" Takeru looked at her though the tiny gaps through his fingers.

"Pretend that it's a love poem. What would you say then?" she instructed.

"Oh, well..." Takeru sat up properly. Then he shook his head. "It's embarrassing." Roomi gave him a playful swipe across the shoulder, and he laughed. "Okay! Okay! I would say- this is going to sound ridiculous, just so you know!- _If _I was to go along with this, I would say... When I'm with you, everything else disappears and... Roomi, I can't."

"Go on," Roomi said, swivelling round to face him properly and taking both his hands in hers. "Please." She batted her eyelashes exaggeratedly, then giggled at herself.

Takeru swallowed. Why did she have to use the pout? He could never say no to the pout!

"Um... I'd say that compared to you, the stars in the sky are... unremarkable..." Takeru looked away, but ran his thumbs over Roomi's hands. Roomi smiled and looked up to the sky. The first few evening stars were winking through the red clouds as the sun set.

"Do you really mean that, or are you just saying it?" she said.

"No, I... I mean it," Takeru said. Roomi blushed pink as he met her eyes, and seeing she wasn't making fun of him, Takeru felt more confident. "And," he went on. "And even when the sky s grey, it's like... you're the one that makes the sun shine."

"That's so cheesy!" Roomi cried, laughing and bringing Takeru's hands up to cup her face.

"You told me to say it!" Takeru said, getting into his stride now. "And you're the one- the _only _one I've ever felt this way about, and the only one I would ever _want_ to feel this way about, and when I look into your eyes it's like I'm... seeing heaven. Erm." Takeru coughed a little. "Sorry, I got a little carried away."

"Hmph." Roomi wrapped her arms around Takeru's neck. "And _if_ you were to say all that, and _if_ I was the one you were saying it to... I'd call you a dreamer, and a hopeless romantic."

Takeru smiled sheepishly and rested his forehead against Roomi's, stroking his thumbs over her baby-smooth cheeks. "W-Well, in that case, then I'd probably just say... that I love you."

Roomi smiled and glanced to the side for a moment, a look of contemplation on her face. Then she raised her head. Takeru lowered his, and they kissed.

–

**I didn't know whether to put more description into the kiss at the end, but I kept it short and sweet, like the kiss itself.**

**I'm very happy to be up to chapter thirty, and also happy that I got to write about Roomi and Takeru for it. RoomixTakeru has become a definite favourite of mine since I started writing 'Differences'!**

**Yes, I'm leaving you on a cliffhanger with Luke and Akari! Any of you hoping for more on them this chapter will be disappointed, but next chapter will be another turning point for the two of them.**

**On another note, I wish I could have made this chapter longer, but I couldn't think of ways to drag it out longer without going into unnecessary details. I heard it's good to sometimes have short chapters, so maybe this will suffice! Next chapter will be much longer, however.**

**I'd like to know what you thought of this chapter, since RoomixTakeru wasn't mentioned in the summary and so you wouldn't have started reading 'Differences' for it. It would be interesting to see whether people like this story for the writing or the pairings! Of course, I doubt you would have read this far if you didn't like the writing at least a little bit.**

**Thanks for all your support so far, and in helping me to reach chapter thirty! Apparently I have over four-hundred reviews now, which is baffling, to say the least!**


	31. I want to go Home

**How's _this_ for an update? Okay, it wasn't that fast, but it's an improvement... I think. Enjoy reading the chapter- I know_ I_ enjoyed writing it!**

**--**

Akari took another despondent sip of her orange juice. It had been over a week since she had received the very deed she had pained to sign away, over a week since Dai had unexpectedly shown up on her doorstep, over a week since she read Luke's letter. The combined shock had not yet sunk in, and since then she had drifted about her personal life, only half-sentient. As if in a dream.

"Akari?"

She snapped her head up to find Mark waving a hand in front of her face.

"What is it?"

"Nothing, other than the fact I've been trying to get your attention for the last five minutes!" Mark said. His grin faded and he sighed, leaning forward on the cheap McDonald's table and resting his chin on the palm of his hand. "What's up?"

Akari stared at him in despair. Here was the man Luke had begged her to let herself fall for. The man who, just maybe, loved her back. Mark... she could learn to love him. Of that she was sure. But she knew that no matter how hard she tried, she would never be able to forget what might have been. She didn't want to spend the rest of her life wallowing in regret.

She looked at Mark. Thought of Luke. Her hand snaked inside her handbag to touch the letter Dai had personally delivered to her. She hadn't been able to bring herself to throw it away.

"Mark, I..." Akari bowed her head. "I think... I've got something to tell you."

Mark smiled. "Good, because I've got something to tell you, too," he said.

"Can I go first? It's really important." If she didn't say it now, Akari didn't think she'd ever say it. "Mark... I'm sorry, but I-"

"You don't love me," Mark said quietly. Akari stared at him, and he smiled sadly and shrugged. "I'm right, aren't I?"

"Mark..." Akari struggled. "H-How long..."

"Since the beginning," Mark said. "When you look at me, I always get the feeling you're seeing someone else. I thought maybe if you went out with me you would start to like me, but..." He shrugged again. He looked down at his clasped hands. His smile was looking more and more forced.

"I'm sorry," Akari whispered. It was no consolation, but what else could she say?

"It's okay," Mark said, a little too quickly. He sniffed abruptly, sat up properly and looked at her. "I think... you broke up with your boyfriend just before you started seeing me, didn't you?"

"Something like that," Akari said, guilt rippling through her. She really did like Mark. Just not in the way he wanted her to.

Mark nodded understandingly. "I can tell," he said. "I know how it is. You get dumped and you just want to feel like someone loves you again..." He took a deep breath. "So there's really no chance for me?"

Akari felt she owed him the truth. "I don't think so," she said. "No." Had she never been to Waffle Town, if she hadn't let herself be changed by the people she met there, then maybe, maybe she would have fallen for Mark. If it hadn't been for the lingering thought of Luke in the back of her mind, then yes. She and Mark would have been very happy together.

"Right," Mark said, keeping his voice carefully neutral. He was blinking a lot.

Akari reached over and placed her hand over his. "Are you okay?" she whispered.

"Yeah, yeah." He let out a deep puff of air, blowing his blonde fringe upwards. He pulled his hand away. "This actually might... well, let me tell you my news!" He messed up his hair and shook his head, as if trying to refresh himself. "Here's the deal," he said. "You know I said I always wanted to be a farmer?"

"How could I forget?" Akari said, smiling tiredly. Mark was being so brave for her. It wasn't fair. She was causing so many problems for everyone.

"Well, even though I'd sort of accepted that it was never going to happen, when I met you it was like a reminder of everything I really wanted," Mark went on. He paused and laughed sheepishly. "And, well, there's this island... There's a lot of free land, and it's already known for farming and agriculture, so I... I thought I'd go there, just to visit, and if it goes well, I was thinking I could move in there... permanently." He looked at Akari, his eyebrows tented worriedly, like a child asking a parent for a particularly expensive birthday present.

Akari smiled sympathetically. "Why does it look like you're asking for my permission here?" she asked.

"Well, I just wanted to know if you thought it was a good idea!" Mark said defensively. "I mean, it's kinda your fault I'm doing this! If you hadn't turned up I wouldn't have gotten the idea, so... what do you think?"

"I think it's a great idea," Akari smiled. "And even if I didn't, if it's what you want then you should still go for it. Don't mind what other people think."

Mark grinned. "Thanks, Akari."

"No problem." Akari chugged down the rest of her orange juice and picked up her bag just as the till announced that the restaurant would be closing in ten minutes due to management issues. Mark stood up too, and she wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

Mark hugged her back. "It's okay," he said. "I'll see you later?"

"Yeah." Akari nodded, pulling away. They walked out onto the street together, but before they went their separate ways, Akari turned back to Mark and said, "Thank you."

"For what?" Mark asked.

"For everything," Akari murmured under her breath as she set off walking down the darkening street, her own words ringing in her ears. If it's what you want, then you should go for it. Don't mind what other people think. Her mind wandered back to Waffle Town, her farm and her friends. She began to recite Luke's letter in her head, ashamed that she had memorized it, but at the same time happy that she had

Akari checked her watch. She had only been walking for about ten minutes, and it would take her another fifteen to reach her flat. It was already getting quite dark, although the streets were still bustling with people doing last-minute shopping, or returning home from work.

She was suddenly aware that the person behind her was walking a little closer to her than she would have liked. She didn't look back- that would cause her to slow down, and in the city slowing down meant a greater risk of getting trampled upon- but she quickened her pace, raised her head and let her arms swing confidently by her sides.

But if anything, the footsteps only got closer. It was a little unnerving, but there were still plenty of people on the street, so Akari saw no reason to be worried. It was only when she could practically feel the man (she was sure it was a man by this time) breathing down her neck that she began to feel scared.

She turned on her heel to face the rude person who was tailing her. With so many people around, there was little chance of getting hurt. But faster than she could blink, her handbag had been wrenched from her shoulder and it and the man sped past her in a blur of black.

For a moment Akari simply stood, staring after the man and her bag, stupefied. Then her sensible side kicked in. Surely, it would be better to let the thing go. It was a cheap handbag, containing nothing but seventy-five gold. Nothing to risk getting hurt for. Just seventy-five gold in an old purse, a packet of tissues, some aspirin and... her letter. Her letter from Luke. In her handbag. Halfway down the street. Stolen.

Akari took a deep breath.

"Somebody stop that man!" she shrieked as she hurtled down the street after him. She registered as much about the thief as she could to prevent her losing him in a crowd. Black hair under a black hat. Black jacket, black jogging pants.

She lost a sandal as she skidded around a corner, but she didn't stop to pick it up. Her bare heel pounded the pavement and started to bleed. Panting, she looked around frantically. Why wasn't anybody helping her?

"Someone, help me!"

But passers-by hung their heads, busied themselves in their belongings, hurried on in the opposite direction. Akari felt the sheer hopelessness sting the back of her throat as she gasped for breath. She couldn't help but think of Waffle Town. In Waffle Town, someone would have helped her. In Waffle Town, she wouldn't have been robbed in the first place.

"_Somebody, please, help!"_

Akari sprinted across the road after the man in black, each breath burning like fire in her lungs. Car horns shrieked; she barely noticed. All she could think of was her letter, and that was what kept her running and blocked out her sense of reason. And so she, barely five feet tall, skinny and twig-like, continued to chase the man almost twice her size and most likely twice her strength through the street.

The thief suddenly swerved to the left and disappeared up a thin street between two shops. Akari followed him. She stopped halfway down the darkened alley, panting, her eyes darting frantically from side to side. Where was he? It was hard to tell in the darkness, but she knew he couldn't have gone far.

She held her breath and stood completely still, listening intently. Straining her ears past the hum of traffic she had left behind, she heard a distinct gasping. Struggling to keep her breathing even, she took a few silent steps forwards. A lamplight attached to the brick wall flickered. The thin, yellow light fell in a dim glow onto an old doorway with a lock rusted shut, a couple of dustbins and the black-clad back of a man, doubled over and wheezing.

Akari was suddenly aware of her blood roaring in her ears and her heart pounding relentlessly in her chest. The sudden rush of adrenaline was wearing off, and the fear was taking over. She was alone in an alleyway with a potentially dangerous man. But then she saw her handbag, hanging limply from his arm, and she stopped thinking.

She leapt. She seized her bag and tried to pull it away, and almost succeeded. But the man came to his senses just in time, and regained his iron grip on the strap. Akari wrenched her arms back.

"Give it _back!"_ she yelled.

"Stupid bitch!" The man drew back his free hand and brought it down hard and fast across Akari's face. The force lifted her feet off the ground and sent her flying. Her head spinning, her jaw numb, she spun around to face the thief again, but her vision was blurred. She failed one arm wildly in front of her searching for him in the growing darkness, and suddenly her body was seized and she was hurled into the wall.

Her head hit the concrete hard. Immediately her legs crumpled beneath her and she slumped in a heap on the wet, chewing-gum caked ground. She couldn't see, but she heard the fast thudding of the thief's trainers as he ran away, her bag in hand. Her bag, and her letter. She let out a long, low moan of pain as she felt her only remnant of Luke disappear like water down a drain.

Slowly, Akari pushed herself up from the ground and onto her knees. Cradling her throbbing head in her arms, she sat there for a long time until she felt strong enough to stand again. She had to use the wall to struggle to her feet, leaning heavily against it for support. Her head felt unbearably heavy. She staggered back into the main street and down the pavement, sobbing uncontrollably. Tears mixed with snot on her face, and something sticky and warm dripped from her forehead. People brushed past her without a word. The only person to ask if she was okay was a homeless man in a shop doorway.

It took her half an hour to reach her apartment block. The elevator wasn't working, and even if it had been, she wouldn't have used it. Drunken people used it as a bathroom when a real one wasn't available. Instead, she dragged herself up four flights of stairs. By the time she reached her door, her whole body was shaking.

She fell into her flat, grateful that the room was so small that the sofa was placed within a few feet of the door. She had to use her hands to move her head into a comfortable position on a cushion; her neck was still weak.

"Mum," she said mournfully. "Mum..."

"Akari, are you there?" her mother's voice rang out from the bathroom. She heard the toilet flush and the door open. Her mother screamed when she saw her.

"Akari! My baby, oh my baby, what happened?" she cried, sweeping her daughter up in her arms and stroking back the hair that was sticking to her forehead with blood. "Are you okay? Wait a minute, let me get a flannel..."

She couldn't find a flannel, so Akari had to make do with a wet dishcloth pressed against the side of her head. Her mother then helped her into a half-sitting position, with her head leaning against her chest. Her mum stroked her cheek soothingly, singing old lullabies she hadn't sung since Akari was less than ten years old.

"What happened?" her mum asked. Her face had turned a sickly grey colour.

Akari let her head flop back so that she looked her mother in the face. Fresh tears stung her eyes. "Mum," she whispered, her voice shaking as her face crumpled and the tears began to flow again. "I want to go home."

–

**Everybody knows what she means by 'home' right? Anyway, truthfully, how many of you were expecting _that?_ Heheh, I've been planning it for ages. Seriously, you won't believe how long...**

**I suppose you could say this is the beginning of the end... which is very sad for me! I started this story over a year ago, and it has been my most popular piece. It'll be sad to see it go... but also happy, knowing that I've _finally_ completed a really long story. Wow, here I am talking about the end when we're at least two or three chapters away! I know where I'm going from here, it's just a question of how to execute it. This journey isn't over yet!**

**Relating to this chapter, you might think it improbable that so many people would see a robbery taking place and do nothing, but it's actually very likely. It is an example of the 'Bystander Factor'. The more people around there are, the less likely anyone is to act. The best-known example of the Bystander Factor is the true story of Kitty Genovese. Kitty was stabbed in the street. Thirty-eight people heard her cries for help, but not one did anything about it, each believing another would phone an ambulance. Kitty's attacked came back not once, but _twice_, and both times he stabbed her again. By the time somebody _finally_ called the police, she had already bled to death. It took her about forty minutes to die.**

**Sorry to put a downer on everyone there! I just thought I'd better cover myself, so that nobody can accuse me of being too unrealistic.**

**Anyway, you're probably sick of me asking for reviews all the time, so... I'll experiment and see whether I get as many when I _don't_ ask for them!**


	32. I Promise

**Another horrible gap between updates- I'm sorry, I really am, but I have exams flying all over the place at the moment and I must put my education first. I've _just_ come home from school, and since I had two exams today, I've decided to reward myself by writing this chapter!**

**This is a very special chapter, so I hope that you all enjoy it.**

–

Standing on the deck of Pascal's ship, Akari couldn't help but feel a sense of deja vu. The packing, the explaining, the tearful goodbyes- she had done it all before, and more times than she should have done. As they docked at Waffle Town harbour, Akari couldn't help but feel nervous. Like she was stepping back into the lion's den.

Only Takeru was there waiting to greet her, but that was to be expected, as he was the only one she had told. She ran up to see him, only to stop a few feet away from him. He smiled at her.

"You're back," he said quietly.

"I'm home," Akari replied. Slowly she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Takeru's middle. She pressed herself against him in a hug. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm so sorry."

Takeru hugged her back, stroking her wild hair comfortingly. "It's okay," he said. "Stop it Akari, you're going to make me cry!"

"Sorry," Akari said again, looking up at him and smiling. She looked as if she was about to cry herself, and she wasn't quite sure whether it was out of happiness or fear. She attempted to put it out of her mind. "Hey!" she exclaimed, prodding Takeru's shoulder. "Since when were you this strong? Come on, show me the muscles!"

Takeru blushed and rolled his eyes, but obliged and promptly swung Akari around as if she were nothing more than a rag doll. Akari shrieked, but started to laugh when he deposited her safely back on the ground.

"How come _I_ didn't get like that after working on the farm?" she said jokingly. He smiled at her nervously, then raised his eyebrows as if he'd just remembered something important.

"I've got something to show you," he said, taking her arm.

They strolled over to Caramel Falls in silence. The awkward atmosphere was apparent, but Akari didn't know what she could do to lighten it. She felt like a tourist in her own town. Upon reaching the top of the hill, she gasped.

"Takeru, did you do this?" she asked, staring wide-eyed at the simple, beautiful house before her. Takeru rubbed his forearm and looked away.

"Yeah," he said sheepishly, and Akari stepped closer to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"I guess you're here for good, then," she said. There was a long pause, and she tilted her head to look up at him. "I didn't... force you into this, did I Takeru?"

"If I didn't want to stay here I wouldn't have had the house constructed," Takeru replied.

"That wasn't my question!" Akari pretended to hit him, and he sighed.

"Well, not _forced_, I would say I felt... obligated? At first, but after a while, I... I couldn't imagine being anywhere else," he said quietly. "I'm glad you left, so that I had a chance to come here... Th-that's selfish, isn't it!" He laughed and looked away.

"It's okay," Akari said. "I was selfish, too."

"Now that you're back, what are you going to do?"

Akari hung her head. "I don't know," she mumbled. "Run my farm, scrape up money from where-ever I can... Try to get people to trust me again. Do you think they'll forgive me?"

"I know they will. E-Eventually." Takeru shuffled his feet and rubbed his arm again, this time to warm away the goosebumps that were forming on his skin in the cool morning air. "Anise and Roomi... Everyone's really missed you. Hey, Akari? Now that you're back... what's going to happen with Luke?"

Akari didn't reply. She stayed silent for a very long time, so long she feared her feet would freeze to the spot. She didn't let go of Takeru. She was drowning in her memories, and needed him to keep her afloat. "I want to go home," she said suddenly. "I want to go back to my farm before everyone wakes up."

"Akari, you can't avoid them forever," Takeru said, and she bit her tongue. He could see right through her. Shameful as it was, she was afraid to face her old friends again. She was afraid they would reject her.

She shook her head. "I want to go home," she said again, and Takeru sighed exasperatedly.

"All right," he said. "Let's go."

The walked back to the town, arm in arm. Akari couldn't believe she had forgotten how beautiful the place looked as the sun rose and the shadows slid back across the paved ground, stretching out her and Takeru's shadows so they resembled circus stilt-walkers. As they passed by the tailor shop, the door opened,making the bell chime. Akari quickly darted behind Takeru.

Kotomi emerged, a basket in one hand and a shopping list in the other. She smiled at Takeru and bid him good morning before trotting off down the street. Then she stopped and whirled around, her eyes as wide as dinner-plates.

"A-Akari?" she gasped. Akari drooped, defeated. She moved from behind Takeru.

"Hi, Kotomi," she said, shrugging. Kotomi's smile didn't look nearly as forced as Akari was sure her own did. Seconds later, she found herself swamped by lavender scent and blue cardigan as Kotomi, moving faster than Akari had ever seen her move before, threw her arms around her.

"I knew you'd be back," she said happily. Then she leapt away from Akari abruptly, blushing deeply. "S-Sorry," she mumbled, holding her arms behind her back and giggling shyly.

The door open again, this time with a forceful bang. "Sis, who are you talking to?" Roomi said, marching into the street, frowning at the hubbub. "What's going on he-" her voice caught in her throat as her gaze locked on Akari. There was a long, awkward silence, and then suddenly she let out a piercing shriek and threw herself at Akari. Akari opened her arms uncertainly to hug her, but was instead greeted with a punch to the shoulder.

"What did you think you were doing?" Roomi demanded furiously. She slapped Akari's arm. "Why did you leave?"

"Ow! Ow! Stop hitting me, Roomi!" Akari raised her arms to protect herself from Roomi's flailing fists. In the end, Takeru had to grab hold of her wrists to stop her pummelling her into unconsciousness.

"P-P-Please don't f-fight!" he begged helplessly. Despite being the biggest and strongest there, he was the most scared out of all of them. Roomi stuck the pointy tip of her tongue out at him, then took his hold on her wrists to her advantage and wrapped his arms around her, leaning her head back against his chest.

"Roomi, we're in company," Takeru said, but he didn't look too unhappy about it. Akari's jaw dropped. So _this_ was why Takeru was so eager to stay?

"Wait, you two are...? Takeru, why didn't you tell me?" she cried, forgetting all her fear in the heat of the moment. Takeru's face flushed a lovely cherry red, and he looked away, chuckling nervously. He linked his fingers with Roomi's.

"W-Well, I mean, it's nothing _official..."_ he said, chewing the inside of his cheek. Roomi snatched her hand away.

"_What?"_ she snapped, turning on him so quickly that her pigtails swirled round and hit her in the face. She brushed the purple strands away furiously. "What about your heartfelt confession before? Did that mean nothing to you?"

"No, no, of course it did!" Takeru amended. "I-I just... _You_ haven't told anyone, have you?"

"Well, no, but..."

Akari burst out laughing, and even Kotomi couldn't help giggling a little.

"Look at you two, acting like an old married couple," Akari said gleefully. She suddenly frowned, confused. "But I thought you were gay, Tak." She had blurted it out before she could stop herself. Seeing the look of horror on Takeru's face she regretted it immediately and clamped a hand over her mouth. "Joking! I was joking!" she blustered. Roomi rolled her eyes.

"Whatever," she dismissed. "I don't know what you're talking about Akari, but Takeru loves _me_ now. I couldn't care less about who he dated in the past."

Akari's eyebrows shot up an inch on her forehead and she opened her mouth, thousands of questions ready to pour out; but then she saw Takeru's shaking his head at her urgently, silently begging her not to push the matter any further. She turned her gaping mouth into an unconvincing yawn, and smiled understandingly at Takeru. This was something he and Roomi needed to discuss alone.

She checked her watch and gazed forlornly towards her farm. "Sorry, guys, but I really want to see my farm," she said, though it she couldn't help thinking that it was be a long time before she could consider it hers again.

Roomi sniffed. "Trust you to put filthy animals before your friends," she said haughtily. Then she smiled. "Fine. I'm going to go and tell everyone that you're back! Come on, Kotomi!" She took her sister's arm and pulled her down the street. "Takeru! You come too! It'll be faster with three people."

Akari sighed inwardly. Was it just her or had Roomi become even more controlling in the time she had been away? Then a grin broke out on her face and she turned and full-out sprinted towards her farm.

She made a big fuss of her animals. Her four chickens, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme, were as feather-brained as she had left them, flapping around the coop, completely unchanged. Her livestock were less responsive, and shunned her with moos and baas of discontent. She was disappointed, though she knew she had no right to be. After all, it was Takeru who had been tending to them for the past half year.

"There you go, you silly beast," she said, smiling weakly as she filled May's fodder trough. She stroked her strong black and white back affectionately. "You remember me, don't you?" May looked at her dolefully with big brown eyes. Akari had to reassure herself that they'd grow to trust her again. As long as she took good care of them, they had no reason not to.

Akari had wanted a peaceful first day back in Waffle Town to ease her gently back into the rhythm of things, but Roomi had seen to it that she didn't get a moment to herself. All day she had people knocking on her door to welcome her back or scold her for leaving in the first place. The younger villagers were especially indignant, and Akari had to bite her tongue and endure their tongue-lashings as she told herself to be reasonable. She couldn't raise her voice at a child, and she knew deep down that they had something of a point. She couldn't say she hadn't expected a little resentment, nor that she didn't deserve some of it. She had told herself countless times on the boat on the way to the island that she would have to take her just desserts, despite their bitter flavour. She _would_, she vowed, let her pride take a back seat. A good 'first' impression was necessary to win back the villagers' affection and trust.

It was almost three o'clock when Akari closed the door on who she hoped would be her final visitor. So much attention was exhausting. There had been only one tearful reunion, with Anise. Both women had thrown their arms around each other and started apologising all at once, with Anise half-sobbing onto Akari's shoulder. It was rather embarrassing for both of them when they finally pulled away from each other. Several of the greetings had been quite awkward, especially that of Dai's. Both he and Akari had acted as if their little encounter in the city had never happened, and she was happy to keep it that way. The look they shared assured each other that it had never occurred, and any word ever spoken of the incident would be met with confusion from both parties. Dai had left in silence, and Akari had wondered whether he even wanted her to say goodbye.

It was only when Akari finally got a chance to take the weight off her feet that she realised. Luke hadn't come to see her. She wasn't going to make the same mistake twice, oh no. She wasn't going to hesitate and procrastinate and put of 'til tomorrow what she could do today. That was what had gotten her into such a mess in the first place. If Luke wasn't going to visit her, then she'd go to him, she decided. She had to hear what he had to say, and the longer she sat at home biting her nails, the less likely she was to keep the courage she had to ask.

Getting up, she marched determinedly to her door, all set to kick it clean off it's hinges. Then, just as she laid her hand on the doorknob, there came a loud knock from directly behind it. She froze, only just managing to snatch back her bravery as it tried to run straight out of her like water down a drain. Was it Luke...? It had to be.

Holding her breath and counting to three, she opened the door.

"You're the new farmer, right?" The voice was impossibly small. Not as she remembered. "My dad told me to help you unpack. You know, in case..."

"In case I need any heavy lifting done," Akari finished for him in a whisper. She smiled humourlessly. "I'm fine, Luke. There's nothing here I can't handle."

"Oh." Luke forced a smile, and his gaze skittered away from Akari's. He looked the same as he always had, same short-sleeved jacket, same blue ponytail sticking out at the back of his head. Akari didn't know why she'd expected him to change- it was silly to think that a change in heart meant a change in appearance. She couldn't help but notice, however, the dark shadows that ringed his eyes. Had he been losing sleep? Just like her...

"Well, I..." Luke struggled to continue, and Akari couldn't think of anything to say that wouldn't result in awkwardness. "I suppose I... I'd better go." He hesitated, before turning and jogging down the steps.

"Wait," Akari said suddenly. He turned and she faltered. But she couldn't let him get away from her again. "Do you..." she sighed. "Do you want to come in?" He didn't reply, but only nodded. Akari stared outside for longer than she needed to after he entered her home, before snapping out of her trance and closing the door. She just didn't know what she was going to say.

She wandered over to her kitchen and switched the kettle onto 'boil'. "Sorry about the mess," she said nervously. "I haven't had time to unpack." She glanced over her shoulder to see Luke shuffling his feet awkwardly, eyes glued to the floor. Seeing his anxiety made her tense up even more. Luke was always so confident, so loud. To see him so quiet was a sure sign that something was wrong.

"You can sit down," Akari offered, pointing to her sofa. Luke perched on the very edge of the seat like a blue-feathered bird. The _ting_ of the kettle that indicated it had finished it's job sounded horribly loud in the thick, awkward silence.

Akari realised her hands were trembling as she poured the tea. So much so that she almost spilled the scalding water all over the counter instead of into the cups. She had to take a deep breath and steady herself before going over to Luke. If he wasn't going to take control, she would have to. She handed him a steaming cup.

"Here," she said. Luke smiled briefly at her before lowering his eyes again, staring into the contents of his teacup. She sat down on a chair opposite him and took a tentative sip of her tea. It tasted bitter and foul in her mouth, even though she usually liked tea.

"Thanks," Luke mumbled and Akari bit her tongue. He looked so uncomfortable, sat there on the very edge of the sofa, hunched up and ducking his head like a tortoise withdrawing into it's shell. "I-I'm glad..." he said quietly. "That you're back, I mean."

"Yeah." Akari nodded. "Me too." The gap between them felt much, much bigger than only a few feet. She felt her head droop. Why was she disappointed? She should have expected this. But still, she couldn't just leave things as they were. She didn't want her and Luke to tiptoe around each other for the rest of their lives, never sure what the other was thinking. "Did you mean what you said?" she blurted suddenly, and Luke's head shot up to look at her. "In your letter... did you mean it?" She wondered if Dai had even told Luke about where his confession had gone.

Luke took a sip of his tea and sat back in his seat, shoulders slumping. "Yeah," he said, almost sadly. "Every word."

Akari had to suppress her gasp by taking a gulp from her cup. The hot tea burned all the way down her throat. "Okay," she whispered. What could she say? She and Luke, what would happen to the two of them now? She loved him. He loved her. But for some reason, it still didn't feel right. Her drastic actions six months ago, and the mistakes both of them had made had carved out a huge valley between them that Akari wasn't sure they'd ever be able to fill in.

"I'm sorry," she said suddenly. Luke simply smiled.

"It's okay," he replied. "I... I get it. I understand."

"Another place, another time, you and me..." Akari couldn't trust herself to say any more, or even look at Luke. She'd done enough crying over the last half-year to last her a lifetime; she wasn't going to let herself lose control now. Not in front of Luke. That would destroy him.

"I don't know about another time and another place," Luke said. "You know me, Akari, that's way too deep. All I know is here and now, and I... I love you." He looked down. "But I guess... I was too late. You-"

"Mark's gone," Akari butted in quickly, keeping her tone carefully even. "He went to start a farm. A place called Sunny Island. We're not together any more. It's like we never were..."

She risked a glance up at Luke. She heard him swallow as he linked and unlinked his fingers. His hands were still dirty from work, dusty with sawdust. She couldn't help noticing. Then he stood up.

"I-I should go," he said. Akari quickly hopped up and sped lightly to the door to open it for him. As he passed her, he looked her in the eye for the first time. Akari didn't think so many emotions could be shared with just a single look. Sadness, pain, loyalty, desperation, hopelessness, anger, disappointment. And love. But mainly love. Overwhelming. Overpowering. Akari had to turn her head away.

After what felt like forever, Luke left her house and began to make his way down the street in his big, heavy stride. Akari leaned her head on her door frame as she watched him.

"So that's it?" she asked, loudly, so he could hear her. She sounded like she was going to cry, but she didn't care. "You're just going to walk away again?"

Luke stopped in his tracks and spun around to face her. "I wasn't the one who walked away the first time," he said. He sounded like he was going to cry, too.

And so they stood there, watching each other intently. Akari didn't know when her feet began to take her down the steps and into the street, and she didn't know when Luke started to walk towards her. All she was aware of was the two of them getting closer and closer. She threw her arms around his neck, and immediately his own arms enclosed her waist. There was crying as they embraced, but Akari couldn't tell if the tears on her face were Luke's or her own.

And then there was kissing. Rough and gentle all at once, and scared and unpractised. But Akari wanted it. She needed it. She needed Luke to kiss her better, and she could do the same for him. They broke away from each other, flushed, panting and tear-stained. She smiled at him, and he grinned back with jagged teeth.

For over three years they had done nothing but get things wrong. But now Akari had the chance to do something right.

She held on to Luke. And she promised she would never let him go.

–

**And there you have it. Over. Done. I still can't really believe it. _Differences_ has been my longest and most popular story. I can still remember when I started writing it, over a year ago, at my nan's house because my own computer was broken. I remember it's first positive review, and it's first flame. _Differences_ has seen my writing style change as I have grown up, and even helped me discover a few things about myself. Of course, it's a bit sad to see my first longfic that I (with the help of you readers!) raised from a tiny idea wrap up and leave the nest, but overall I'm proud that I finally got it done.**

**As for Akari, Luke, Roomi, Takeru and the rest, I might just write an epilogue depending on whether you as a reader think that is a good idea or not (be sure to tell me if you decide to review!). If not, all I can do is wish them the best in everything. I created/developed these characters, but now I feel they are ready to get on with their lives without my guidance. I have a feeling they'll be able to stand on their own two feet from now on, without a pushy narrator hounding them everywhere and giving them a push in the direction she wants the story to go!**

**As you can see, I didn't want everyone to immediately accept Akari back into their lives straight away. After she up and left without so much as an explanation, it's clear that some of them, particularly the children, would feel betrayed. But don't worry! As I said, I have every faith that Akari will succeed in wining them back eventually.**

**It's been a long journey, but thanks for sharing it with me. Remember: this isn't the end. This is only the beginning. But I'm not sure Akari would endure me prying into her private life for much longer! So, unless the majority of you want an epilogue, this is the last you'll hear of _Differences. _Luke has finally learned the difference between friendship and love, and Akari has learned that she has to swallow her pride sometimes if she truly wants to be happy. Call me an optimist, but I think they're going to be fine!**


	33. Epilogue

**Because of the unbelievable amount of people wanting a epilogue, I was forced to write this! I'm actually very glad I was able to. I hope you enjoy this final chapter!**

**--**

"Danielle, get back here, you're not done!" Akari cried, grabbing her daughter's arm as she attempted to wriggle away for the seventh time. Setting the girl on her knee, Akari began attacking her head with the the metal-toothed hairbrush.

"But it hurts!" Danielle wailed, trying in vain to jerk her head away as her mother forcefully tamed her wild brown hair. Tying the white bow atop her head, Akari released her waist and let her leap away, purposely messing up her hair again. Akari just sighed and rolled her eyes. It would have to do.

She watched, smiling, as her daughter danced happily in front of the mirror, twirling around in her clean white layered dress, silver locket, silk bow and muddy old trainers. Danielle had turned seven last month, and was looking less and less like a toddler and more and more like a girl every day. She had lost a milk tooth that very morning, and displayed it proudly on the kitchen table for all to see. It only seemed like yesterday that she was born, and already she was growing up. Akari chuckled, amused at her own pointless sentimentality. She had promised herself when she was pregnant with Danielle that she would never turn into one of those fawning parents who always had the baby photos at hand, but at times it seemed it was unavoidable. It was so rare to see Danielle all dressed up- usually it was scruffy dungarees and old trainers- and she looked so grown-up. Akari couldn't help but feel nostalgic.

Luke emerged from the bathroom with his shirt half open and his tie hanging around his neck.

"Daddy!" Danielle dashed across the room and threw herself into his arms. Luke lifted her up and held her above his head, and she shrieked with delight.

"Hello, big girl," he said, grinning and setting her down safely on the floor. She wobbled a little on the spot before straightening up and spinning around, showing off her ruffles.

"If only Daddy looked as smart as you, Danielle," Akari pointed out, smirking, and Luke smiled sheepishly and started buttoning his shirt properly. Getting up from the bed, Akari walked over to him and put her hands on his shoulders.

"The animals are all fed," she said. "Did you water the turnips?"

"Yeah, all done," Luke said, leaning down to kiss her. She wrapped her arms round his neck, and he hugged her round her waist.

"Ugh!" Danielle pretended to be sick. "I bet other parents don't do that!"

"Cheeky," Akari muttered, breaking away from Luke and knocking her daughter playfully on the head. "Come on, we have to meet Uncle Takeru and Auntie Roomi, we don't want to be late."

"And Alexandra!" Danielle added, and Akari raised her eyebrows.

"You _know_ his name is Alexander. I'll have none of that silliness today," she said warningly, though she couldn't keep the smile out of her voice. Danielle giggled naughtily and pranced over to the door with the grace of an elephant. Luke unlocked it and placed his hand on the doorknob.

"Daddy..." said Danielle slowly.

"I know, I know!" Luke said quickly. "Pull, not push, right?"

They went to meet Takeru, Roomi and Alexander at the Maple Lake District. One look at Alexander put Akari's efforts to shame. His dark hair had not a strand out of place, and he looked very smart indeed in his little waistcoat and bow tie. He was standing with his back as straight as an ironing board and his hands clasped in front of him, not wanting to move for fear he'd dirty himself. Even though his glasses were slipping down his pointed nose, he didn't dare push them back up.

Danielle took advantage of this and plucked the silver spectacles from his face. Alexander immediately sprang to life.

"Give those back!" he demanded, holding out his stiff little hand and glaring at Danielle. She just grinned and held the glasses above her head.

"Jump for them!" she said teasingly, and Alexander clenched his jaw.

"I certainly will _not!"_ he snapped. He turned to Roomi. "Mu-um! She won't give them back!"

Luke took the glasses from Danielle's hands before Roomi had a chance to do anything. His eyes were bright and Akari could tell he was fighting off laughter. She had to bite her lip hard to stop the giggles catching. Had to set a good example for the children!

"Here." Luke held out the tiny pair of glasses to Alexander, who snatched them and jammed them back onto his face, scowling.

"Um, what do you say, Alex?" Takeru said, smiling down encouragingly at his son.

"Thank you," Alexander said grudgingly. Then he stuck his tongue out at Danielle. She bared her teeth and pulled her lower eyelids down and rolled her eyes back in her head, impersonating some white-eyed monster. Takeru looked embarrassed, and Akari smiled sympathetically at him.

"Kids," she said understandingly, and Takeru smiled back. He was dressed similarly to Alexander, and it wouldn't have surprised Akari if that had been Roomi's idea. They were wearing the same dark grey trousers and waistcoats, though Takeru was sporting a red tie and had a jacket on over his waistcoat. Roomi looked no less sophisticated in a knee-length, floaty dress made of sky blue silk with a crepe paper-like blue material over the top, and a matching, broad-rimmed hat. It looked like Kotomi had pulled out all the stops when designing their outfits, not that Roomi would accept anything less. Akari, Luke and Danielle looked positively drab in comparison, but then, they weren't really the dressing-up type. Akari had to admit, the little pink bridesmaid's dress didn't suit her.

"Takeru had us up at _five_ this morning!" Roomi said, shaking her head and hooking her arm around his middle. She frowned up at his face. "You spent so long getting us ready you forgot to looks after yourself!" she scolded, reaching up and wiping a smudge of paint from his cheek. Takeru smiled down at her and brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

Danielle and Alexander had started arguing again.

"There's a stain on your shirt," Danielle taunted, poking him in the chest.

"No there isn't," Alexander said incredulously, looking down at his front. Danielle raised her finger and flicked the tip of his nose playfully.

"Made you look, made you stare, made you lose your underwear!" she sang. Alexander glared at her, clutching his nose. It looked like he was seriously considering slapping her, and Akari decided someone should step in before he tried his luck with it. Knowing Danielle, she'd return his slap with a punch.

She moved to pull Danielle away, just as Roomi and Takeru stepped forward to move Alexander back too, but then Danielle smiled genuinely and took Alexander's hand in hers.

"Let's run!" she urged. "Or we'll be late for the wedding. You can dance with me afterwards too, if you want." And she took off down the dirt path, practically dragging him along behind her. Alexander blushed and spluttered and tried to snatch his hand away.

"L-Like I would want to dance with you!" he sputtered, pulling back, making things purposely difficult for Danielle. She let him go so abruptly that he stumbled and nearly fell over.

"Yuck, your hand's all sweaty!" she cried, wrinkling her nose and wiping her palm on her dress. Alexander looked like he was about to burst into tears.

"_Danny_," Akari said sternly, frowning at her daughter. Danielle pouted and stamped her foot, and Luke took her hand and squeezed it.

"You can dance with me instead," he said, grinning. "How about that?"

"You'll fall over and squish me!" Danielle said, but she sidled up to him, swinging their joined hands between them.

Akari shook her head. "You spoil her," she chastised as they set off towards the church. Luke smiled and put his arm around her shoulders. "I love you," he whispered against her ear, and she gave him a playful nudge in the ribs.

"Don't think you can sweet-talk your way out of trouble!"

They reached the church together, though Akari, being a bridesmaid, had to linger outside to wait for the bride and groom. She gave Luke a peck on the lips and told Danielle to be good before shooing them into the building. The place was full already. Takeru, Roomi and Alexander had already taken a bench beside Anise's parents. Tao and Leena were there with their son Matt, who had just turned ten. Pat and Calvin were trying to calm down Heath, who was squirming in his seat, and Mai and Chihaya next to then were sat hand-in-hand. Mai was heavily pregnant. Irene said the baby was due any day now.

Akari was surprised to see, through the open doors, that Takeru's parents had also stopped by for the ceremony, and were sat upright on the back row, looking very out of place among the array of hand-me-down clothes and fidgety children. It seemed both they and Takeru were making some effort to get back on good terms. They had barely come to terms with the fact that their scholar son had decided he wanted to _paint_ for a living when Takeru had phoned them up and asked them for their blessing. He had been receiving at least three letters a week telling him how he had brought enough shame on the family already, and couldn't he see that they only wanted the best for him?

Takeru had politely wrote back that if they weren't going to give their permission for him to marry Roomi, then that was perfectly fine, because he was going to marry her anyway. He had put on a strong front for Roomi, not wanting her to feel guilty about their engagement, but had sobbed his heart out to Akari, thinking his parents would never forgive him for marrying a 'working-class country girl'. But nonetheless, they had turned up unexpectedly to the wedding. And though they had been distant and uptight, it was the first time that Mr Morgan had kissed his son's forehead and said, instead of 'Don't embarrass me', 'I'm proud of you'.

The music started. Akari jumped to attention, smoothing down her dress and brushing her hair out of her eyes. She had never gotten around to growing her hair back to it's original style. After she had practically scalped herself over eight years ago, her hair seemed to have lost all sense of gravity and had started growing up instead of down, and she had settled for a short pixie cut. It made her look older. Almost her real age.

Anise looked beautiful in her wedding dress. The silk hugged her figure perfectly, and towards the bottom of the skirt the material spread out, like a long, white mermaid tail. She wore matching white silk gloves, and had even woven white flowers into her long, sleek hair. The overall effect was simple, yet elegant. The very essence of Anise.

Won, in his traditional Asian shirt and dark blue trousers, took her hand in his as they walked down the aisle. Akari could still scarcely believe they were finally tying the knot. They had been serious about each other for a long time now, almost eight years, and behaved as any married couple would, and they had seemed to be content with that. Everyone had expected that Won would never marry again after the tragic ending of his previous marriage, but he had proved them all wrong when last year, he accepted Anise's proposal.

Akari followed Anise dutifully up the aisle, watching her footing carefully, keeping in time with the bride and groom. Depressingly, Chloe seemed to be doing a much better job of it than her, and the perky eighteen-year-old was stealing the show.

Anise and Won reached the altar, where Hamilton began to read out the vows for them to repeat. Akari had to suppress a snicker when she saw Anise's face. She had always been terrible at weddings, and even at her own she was no different. Her make-upped eyes were watering, and she was blinking a lot to stop the tears escaping down her cheeks. She lost it on 'I do' and a single tear slid down her face, leaving a dark grey trail of mascara behind it. Turning to her, Won gently wiped her tear-stained cheek and kissed her, sealing their promise of love 'til death do they part.

Akari spied Danielle pulling a face in disgust, letting her tongue loll out of her mouth. She hopped up from her seat and pushed her way down the pew, clamouring to sit on Granddad Dai's lap. He whisked her up in his strong arms and plonked her down next to him, putting his finger over his lips and shushing her. Danielle mimicked him, pressing her finger to her own tightened lips.

Akari joined the crowds outside in throwing confetti over the newly-weds. Anise and Won, not ones for making a show, simply thanked everyone politely. They stood side by side and smiled contently, waiting for the cameras to stop flashing. Anise hugged Akari close, almost crying again.

"Congratulations," Akari said, hugging her back.

"Oh Akari, I'm so happy." Anise couldn't manage more than a whisper. Won came up behind her and put his hands comfortingly on her shoulders, and she turned and held herself to his chest for a moment before joining hands with him. They left for the town square hand-in-hand, ready to start their new lives together.

"We'd better get going too," Takeru said, appearing beside Akari. She nodded in agreement. She didn't want to miss the buffet- she, for one, was starving! She scrambled through the crowd for Luke and Danielle. Danielle was yawning, and Luke was having to keep a tight grip on her wrist to stop her being swept away by the tidal wave of people.

"Don't fall asleep yet, Danny, we still have to eat," Akari said, patting her daughter on the head. Danielle's eyes lit up, and all the tiredness faded from her face.

"Can I have sticky toffee pudding?" she asked, bouncing up and down, and Akari laughed.

"Not until you've had your starter and your main course!"

Danielle released Luke's hand, allowing Akari to slip in her hand in her place. Then she bounded ahead to Takeru, Roomi and Alexander and gave Alexander a little push as she leaped behind him, knocking his glasses off the bridge of his nose so that they hung down from his ears. He shoved them back onto his face so fiercely he almost snapped them in half. He pushed Danielle back, and she pushed back harder using her shoulder. Then she linked her arm in his and pulled him ahead with her, oblivious to his wide eyes and scarlet cheeks.

Akari sighed and leaned her head on her husband's shoulder. Luke swivelled his own head and kissed the crest of her hair.

"She'll understand when she's older, won't she?" Akari murmured, stroking Luke's hand with her thumb. "How Alex feels about her, I mean?"

Luke smiled almost guiltily. "She will," he assured, moving his head so he could look Akari in the eye. "...Eventually."

–

**And we're done! For real this time! I just had to give Anise and Won their happy ending. It didn't seem fair for Anise not to get one after she was the one who stayed in the town and persevered through it all.**

**I was careful in choosing the names for Akari's and Takeru's children. Though the names aren't names I particularly like, I thought Danielle suited a lively tomboy and Alexander suited an prim, uptight boy. I know Danielle isn't nice with Alex, but in my opinion she's like a little boy, picking people to get their attention!**

**I'm very glad I got to tie up these loose ends. I'll leave it up to you what happened to Mark, though I like to think he started a farm and is happily married on Sunny Island! I just realised the other day that Takeru is the only character whose surname I revealed- Morgan. If any of you are interested, I always saw Akari's surname as either Parker or Porter. But if you want Japanese names, I'd say it was Kudo.**

**Thank you very much for reading, yet again, and maybe I'll see you again soon! If you have any suggestions on what you'd like to see from me next, please feel free to tell me. I can't wait to get started!**

**Thanks for reading, everyone. I can't tell you how happy I am that you chose to stick with this story right 'til the end. Goodbye... but hopefully not for long!**

**lilacbird **


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